《Star-Slaying Swordsman》 Chapter 1 Chapter 1 I had a strange dream that day. I was nothing more than an unremarkable villager, but for some reason, I remembered the life of a swordsman in my dream. A life that was bound by edged steel, longing to ¡°slay the stars¡± someday. ¡°Ouch¡­¡± My head throbbed as a dull pain slowly seeped in, crawling its way to my brain. An intense headache followed by a sudden surge of memories roused me to consciousness. The swordsman I saw in my dream longed for strength. The word ¡°strongest¡± seemed too cliche, but he earnestly yearned for it from the bottom of his heart. One who kept pursuing his longing, he was an overly simple-minded swordsman. And by the deed of ¡°Slaying the Stars,¡± he tried to show the world that he was indeed the strongest of them all. The night sky was shrouded in darkness. The sparsely scattered stars, which shone ever so brightly, reflected so beautifully in my eyes that it made me want to put them in my treasure chest. But no one could lay their hands on them. No, not even the primal instinct to reach for it sufficed to the fact that they were out of reach and were indeed unattainable. Thus, the swordsman had pondered. ¡°If I slay such stars, won¡¯t I be able to prove the strength of my sword to everyone?¡± And so, the swordsman, who never doubted that it was the right thing to do, made ¡°Star Slaying¡± his guiding principle and thirsted for it as if he were dying. Under the clear, pale blue sky that stretched out forever, he swung his sword single-mindedly. He continued to look for worthy opponents that could be of nourishment to his journey. ¡°Star Slaying¡­¡± Those words could be said to be the core of the swordsman¡¯s life that I had dreamt of. And not knowing why, it came out of my mouth unconsciously. Strangely enough, I couldn¡¯t seem to forget them. It was as if they were stuck deep within my heart. Those two words gave me a strange, familiar feeling. A hope and longing I had never felt before. I spent my everyday life doing the exact same routine. Perhaps I was just fed up living the life of a common villager and hadn¡¯t been aware of it. So much so that my words were filled with passion that I had never felt before. ¡°Wow¡­¡± My throat quivered as I tried to put together my words in a hoarse voice. There was a sense of discomfort due to the headache, but the more I focused on the words ¡°Star Slaying¡±, the less the pain I felt. And an endless yearning followed suit. ¡°This is freaking amazing!!!¡± With a gleam in my eyes, I jumped to my feet, praising the swordsman who had wielded his sword in my dream. Even though he had ultimately failed to achieve his goal of slaying the stars, he still undoubtedly had lived a bright life. His world was so dazzling that it captivated me. I was filled with hope. ¡°That was awesome¡­¡± ¡°Slaying the Stars¡± was a feat that even a swordsman of his caliber could not reach. I, on this day, at this very moment, yearned from the bottom of my heart for a way of living that continued to strive for such a goal. For someone like me who had been idly living my life as a mere villager, the swordsman¡¯s way of living seemed like a star that was too dazzling for me. And yet, it made me want to reach for it. It was such a jewel of a thing. ¡°But a swordsman, huh¡­¡± I¡¯m just a mere villager. An unremarkable villager, just like any other. And I dream of being a swordsman? I soon realized that it was a desire that I was not worthy of. ¡°¡­No, but even so I¡ª¡± I shook my head left and right in an attempt to shake off my earlier thoughts, even though I knew they were unworthy. ¡°I want to try.¡± I wasn¡¯t sure if the present me could even swing a sword properly, let alone slay a star. After all, I¡¯m just a villager. Just an ordinary villager. I was born in a place where I might never even have the chance to wield a sword. And even if I were to aim for it, I would only feel insecure. However, I had acquired memories that I could learn from in order to become a ¡°Star Slayer¡±. The memories of the swordsman known as the ¡°Sword Demon¡±, one that I admired. ¡°I just don¡¯t want to have any regrets.¡± I couldn¡¯t dismiss the dream as something I had nothing to do with. The vivid scenes of life that I saw in my dream would never fade. Countless fierce battles fought to the death until it became impossible to count. A series of rivals who polished each other¡¯s skills by fighting one another. I felt inexplicably ashamed of myself, wasting my life away as a mere villager in a place like this. It felt stupid. I didn¡¯t want my one and only life to end as a common villager¡¯s life. When the world shines, life burns. When I became aware of the fact that I could lead a very bright life depending on how I chose to live, turning back was no longer an option to me. There was no other way but to move forward. And if I, like that swordsman, were to aspire to be a ¡°Star Slayer¡±, I would have to be at least as skilled or even better than him before I could even start to consider it. His skill with the sword was unmatched. Followed by his expertise in hand-to-hand combat, he had built a strong sense of intuition that must have been developed over his years of experience. Without acquiring all those skills, I wouldn¡¯t be able to stand in the same pit that the swordsman was standing in. That¡¯s why I wanted to know what it would take to become a ¡°Star Slayer.¡± To understand it deeply and engrave it in my mind. ¡°Rather than doing the same thing over and over every day, this would definitely be more fun.¡± Eat, sleep, tend the field. The life led by the swordsman who had dreamt of being a ¡°Star Slayer¡± was far more enjoyable than living a life like this. I could say that without any second thought. ¡°That¡¯s why¡­ I¡¯m going to do it.¡± It was as if I was swearing an oath to someone. After putting my emotions into words, filled with hopes and expectations, I let them out. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll do it, no. I¡¯m going to try and do it.¡± My youthful mouth twitched in joy as I said the words with a delighted look on my face. ¡°Someday, all the stars that float in the sky¡­¡± Toward the unattainable stars that seemed to be out of reach regardless of how hard I tried, I arrogantly proclaimed: ¡°I¡¯ll slay them all.¡± On the night of my eighth birthday, I found something worth living for. A longing that existed so far away. For some reason, after that day, I felt as if the world reflected in my eyes began to shine. Chapter 2 Chapter 2 ¡°I¡­ want to slay the stars.¡± When I said that phrase, everyone was taken aback. Everyone in my age group laughed at me. They told me that I should know my place. That I was just a mere villager, and instead of yearning for something unrealistic like ¡°Slaying the Stars,¡± I should aim to be a swordsman first. My parents told me that it was okay to dream as long as I kept it in moderation. There was no one around me who was happy to hear about my ambition. ¡°Stars, huh¡­¡± Thud, thud. As the breeze sounded through, she looked at me with half-opened eyes as I continued to plow the field with the tip of my broken hoe, with only the handle intact. Her name is¡­ Sofia. My childhood friend and the sole person that was astonished by my ¡°Star Slaying¡± aspiration. Four years had already passed since the day I had that vivid dream, and I was now 12 years old. However, the passion that built up from my aspiration never cooled down. On the contrary, it did the exact opposite and only grew more and more. That¡¯s why I¡¯d been swinging the wreckage of this hoe, day in and out, ever since that day. Perhaps it was because I¡¯d always refused to listen to what anyone had to say, but Sofia was now the sole person to complain about my un-village-like behavior. ¡°I can¡¯t fathom what you¡¯re thinking at all, Julius.¡± She dropped to the ground, letting out a big sigh. ¡°I admired him because he was amazing. And I intend on aspiring to be like him, too.¡± That¡¯s what made me want to become a ¡°Star Slayer.¡± I admired the way of life of the swordsman who dreamt of becoming a ¡°Star Slayer.¡± I harbored the same passion that he did, which was precisely the reason why I carried out the same longing. And to fulfill being a ¡°Star Slayer,¡± I had been swinging my arms for four whole years, to the point that I wouldn¡¯t be able to lift them anymore. Nonetheless, Sofia sighed and complained about how she couldn¡¯t understand my sentiment. But I guess it couldn¡¯t be helped. I was certain that she would have to feel the same passion that I did in order for us to understand one another. And given that it wasn¡¯t a matter of logic, I had to think about it even more. ¡°Do you want to be an adventurer, Julius?¡± ¡°¡­Hm?¡± My arms, which had been moving at a regular interval, slowed a bit. It was a question that¡¯d been thrown around so much that it was almost like a callus to my ears. A common question that everyone asked me when I said I was trying to become a swordsman. ¡°I¡­ just want to slay the stars. If something could help me do it, I¡¯ll do anything.¡± I replied in a sense that denied her question. Adventurers are the common name for individuals who made a living by hunting monsters. They could be swordsmen, wizards, and so on¡­ There were many of those who aspired to be one. So I figured that might be the reason why she asked me that question. ¡°¡­I really can¡¯t comprehend how Julius thinks after all.¡± If it had been for the sake of tangible profit, Sofia would have been immediately convinced, but the reason I was wielding the sword was completely different from anything like that. I wanted to live a shining life like that swordsman who dreamt of Slaying the Stars. I wanted to share the same passion that he did. That was my underlying principle. That was why my way of thinking was beyond the scope of Sofia¡¯s understanding. ¡°I see.¡± I didn¡¯t wish to be understood. A sword was a deadly weapon that could take someone¡¯s life. The reason why I wanted to become a swordsman who wields a sword as if it were a matter of fact was¡ª ¡°I admire him.¡± And that was where I¡¯d end up. Maybe other people wouldn¡¯t understand. For I was the only one who had this passion. Yeah, I could almost say that. But still¡ª There was still one thing that I needed Sofia to know, as someone who cared about me throughout the four whole years that I¡¯d dreamt of Slaying the Stars. ¡°¡­But¡­¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°It may be an idea that no one understands, but I am having fun. The world looks so much brighter than before. It¡¯s more fun to have a goal as ridiculous as this than just to idly coast through life. That¡¯s what I think.¡± As I swung the broken hoe, I wondered if she was surprised to hear me say those things. Blindsiding me for a moment, Sofia¡¯s face broke into a smile, followed by a giggle. ¡°I feel like you¡¯ve changed, Julius.¡± ¡°I have?¡± ¡°Yeah. You used to have the eyes like those of a dead fish, but now you have the eyes of a normal human.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± My hand had stopped moving. But it was only for a moment, and somehow I managed to regain my composure and started swinging my hoe again. *** [Translator ¨C Niel ] [Proofreader ¨C DVN-L ] *** ¡°¡­I-I see.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what it is, but you seem to be enjoying yourself. I don¡¯t know how much fun you¡¯re having, but you look like you¡¯re having a great time, ever since that day four years ago.¡± That day, four years ago. Since the day I saw the memory of the swordsman, I had been holding the remnants of the broken hoe, swinging it from morning to night in hopes of being a ¡°Star Slayer.¡± I did different things from time to time, but I basically just kept on doing this. The day when everyone in the village started to look at me strangely, I was sure that was the day Sofia was referring to. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking lately of trying something new, just like you, Julius.¡± ¡°Something new?¡± ¡°Yes, something new! You know, I think I have a knack for healing magic. That¡¯s why the priest wants me to become a healer. He recruited me when he came to the village the other day.¡± ¡°Hmm~¡± Healers were invaluable. It wasn¡¯t a path for everyone. Only someone with a talent for healing magic, which was essential for a healer, could do it. I was surprised that Sofia had such a talent, but at the same time, I decided to give her a little push to make the most of it. ¡°I think it¡¯s a good offer.¡± Thud, thud. I said as I continued to swing the hoe. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yeah. You have a talent for healing, right? Why not put it to good use in a proper setting, then? It would be such a waste to let your talent rot here.¡± I had a feeling that the village chief would yell at me if he heard that I was encouraging Sofia. He¡¯d say that the village would lose young people again, but nevertheless, I sincerely felt like acting that way. I didn¡¯t want to let her talent go to waste. ¡°Such a waste, huh¡­ Alright. I¡¯m going to accept the priest¡¯s offer and become a healer!¡± She declared to me in a strong voice, fists curled. ¡°But then, I suppose I¡¯d be all alone in the Capital, huh¡­¡± She glanced at me deliberately, and in response to her, I threw back a¡ª ¡°That¡¯s what you¡¯re worried about?¡± ¡ªas if to say something. ¡°What I¡¯m saying is that, won¡¯t you come to the Capital with me, Julius?¡± ¡°Me?¡± ¡°Because I mean, you¡¯re the only one in my age group who wants to get out of this village. Besides, you¡¯re the one who encouraged me.¡± In our enclosed village, there certainly was no one our age who wanted to go out of the village. They were all people who had spent their lives in an ordinary fashion, who wanted to finish it here. I guess that was part of the reason¡­ I was the target of a lot of strange glances, which highlighted the abnormality of my desire of becoming a ¡°Star Slayer¡± and my constant pretense to be one. ¡°There would be all sorts of dungeons if you go to the capital, Julius. You want to get stronger, don¡¯t you? At least it¡¯s far more suitable for you there than to just continue to pretend as one in this village.¡± ¡°¡­Hmm¡­¡± ¡­She certainly had a point. And I couldn¡¯t help but think about it, enough so to make me let out a distressed groan reflexively. A dungeon is a common name for a den of monsters where adventurers, as Sofia mentioned earlier, earned their living. It was fine to keep pretending to be something you¡¯re not, but it was more advantageous to earn money and deal with monsters in dungeons. Sofia¡¯s argument was so right on every level that I almost nodded my head. But I decided to shake my head at her words. ¡°I get what you¡¯re trying to say, but I¡¯ll refuse.¡± ¡°¡­Why?¡± She frowned sullenly, which was hardly surprising. I said that I agreed with Sophia, but then I shook my head. Contradictions were just great. ¡°I¡¯ve just begun swinging this stick around for several years. I don¡¯t think I have enough training to make it out of the village yet.¡± My physical strength, my skills. I was lacking everything. So just a little more time¡ª ¡°You can just have someone in the Capital teach you how to wield a sword.¡± ¡°That¡¯s beside the point.¡± I already had a swordmaster. It wasn¡¯t a living person, it was just a memory. But it was my one and only role model. The origin of my admiration. I replied immediately to her words, believing that retracing my steps was what I was supposed to do. ¡°Mmuuuuuuu¡ª¡± Sofia puffed up her cheeks and glared at my inflexible attitude. But I shrugged it off like a breeze in the willows, moved my paused hand, and resumed my pretend-swinging. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know, I don¡¯t care anymore! I go out of my way to invite you but you just refuse me!!¡± Sofia turned her back on me, her shoulders heaving with anger as she made deliberate footsteps to leave the place. Perhaps she wanted me to stop her. Her stride was small in contrast to her angry expression. ¡°I don¡¯t care anymore! I¡¯ll go with the adventurers coming here tomorrow and go to the Capital alone!¡± I guess she didn¡¯t like the fact that I didn¡¯t want to stop her from going. She turned to my direction again, stuck her tongue out to mock me, and then ran off. ¡°¡­An adventurer, huh?¡± As I watched her figure grow smaller and smaller in the distance, I whispered the words that I had been so privileged to hear lately. It seemed that one of the villagers saw a monster called a ¡°goblin¡± outside of the village, and the village chief sent a request to the adventurer¡¯s guild in the Royal Capital to kill it. There had also been a series of unexpected and disturbing events in the vicinity, such as a large number of monsters, and so a party of B-rank adventurers came to the village, just as the village chief had boasted yesterday. I had some thoughts. ¡°I¡¯d be lying if I said I wasn¡¯t interested.¡± But at this point in my life, I had no intention of becoming an adventurer. ¡°But still, I¡ª¡± No matter how many times Sofia asked me to be a part of it, I couldn¡¯t just nod my head and say ¡°okay.¡± ¡­Huh? The village chief told her to not go outside the village. The direction she ran off in¡­ It was a path that led to the banks of a river outside the village. A month before the goblins were said to have been seen, Sofia had been warned to stay in the village as much as possible, but she still went out frequently. Apparently, she felt more at ease outside the village than inside it. ¡°Well, talking about that girl, I really don¡¯t have to worry about her, do I?¡± Thinking about my childhood friend, who had been rather brash, I turned my attention back to my pretend play. At that time, I had absolutely no way of knowing. That this incident would be a turning point, just like that day four years ago. ¡ª¡ª Chapter 3 Star-Slaying Swordsman Chapter 3 ¡°Julius.¡± The sun was starting to set, and a twilight stretching across the sky began to shine. Someone called out my name as I continued to swing the broken hoe in my hand. It was a voice that I knew all too well. A rather husky voice, one that belonged to my father. ¡°Have you seen Sofia-chan?¡± The words that followed seemed to be somewhat urgent. Words that were filled with emotions and were not typical of my father. I wondered if something had happened. ¡°No.¡± With that in mind, I answered with a slightly concerned expression and shook my head. ¡°I¡¯ve seen Sofia once, at lunch earlier¡­ Did something happen?¡± Normally, my father would be already dragging me back to the house for supper after dark and would rebel in response by not stopping swinging, but for some reason, today was different. ¡°As for her whereabouts¡­¡± The words came back to me immediately. Continuing to ask questions as he disregards mine, he seemed to be in a state of frustration. ¡°She¡¯s probably by the same river she usually goes to.¡± ¡°So she¡¯s outside the village, huh¡­¡± The expression on my father¡¯s face changed to one of bitterness, him letting out a sound of annoyance followed suit. It wasn¡¯t unusual for Sofia to go out, so why did he have such a difficult look on his face today? Having no idea why, I couldn¡¯t help myself. So I called out to my father, who was already about to run without a second thought. ¡°¡­What¡¯s going on?¡± It was obvious that my father had no time to waste, and that his business was urgent. But I still went out of my way to ask again. No, I couldn¡¯t help but ask. ¡°¡­There have been sightings of monsters outside the village.¡± ¡°That news is already¡ª¡± ¡­Old. The thing that I was about to say. Because the presence of monsters had already been confirmed about a month ago. That¡¯s why the adventurers who were commissioned to take it down were coming tomorrow, which made it hard for me to believe that my father needs to be in such a hurry. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right. If the monsters had been goblins, we wouldn¡¯t have had to be in such a hurry.¡± ¡°¡­¡± I was at a loss for words. The way my father said it, sounded as if the monsters he had seen outside the village were not goblins. ¡­No, I¡¯m sure he dared to include that intention in his statement. ¡°¡­There have been ogres spotted outside the village, apparently.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± His voice came out reflexively hoarse. My thoughts went blank for a moment, as I heard my father utter something so unrealistic. Ogres. They¡¯re demon-like creatures. While a goblin¡¯s subjugation level is an F, an ogre is said to be several ranks higher, from a C to even a B. Its defeat rank fluctuates depending on the size of the individual, and in terms of threat, goblins and ogres have a difference in level comparable to that of babies and full-grown adults. ¡­No matter how we looked at it, we could be just wrong. A thought similar to a wish came into my mind, but I quickly drowned out the thought. Forests were where monsters usually resided. In the villages located near the forest, people of the village were first taught the minimum knowledge about the monsters that were out there. Goblins, orcs, and ogres. This was because if such monsters were seen but left unattended, there was a possibility that the whole village could be thrown into chaos. That¡¯s why I couldn¡¯t bring myself to simply assume that we were misjudging the situation. *** *** ¡°Fortunately, or unfortunately, the adventurers are coming tomorrow¡­ If those monsters are indeed ogres, we have no other choice but to wait for them.¡± Fortunately, the sun hadn¡¯t set yet. My father concluded that there was still a good chance that Sofia would come back home. The chances were better if, of anything, it was just goblins. But if it were indeed ogres, no untrained villager would be a match for them. If there was anyone who would stand up to it, they would just be seen as someone who wanted to die. I agreed with my father regarding this issue. But, still¡­ ¡°What if Sofia¡¯s still not back by nightfall, father?¡± ¡°¡­¡± For some reason, my dad didn¡¯t give an immediate response to my question. ¡°¡­We¡¯ll figure something out, then.¡± I knew right away that my dad probably meant ¡°we¡± as with other adults, not with a kid like me. It wasn¡¯t for a child to think about. The idea, which he included in his speech, was surprisingly easy to understand. ¡°Hurry up and go home, Julius. Your mom is worried about you.¡± If it had been me who got out of the village instead of Sofia, my father might have reacted differently. Despite the situation, Sofia was only a neighbor¡¯s child to him. Was she of other people? Or was she like family? The difference often came to light in situations like this. ¡°¡­Okay.¡± Sofia¡¯s always been out there, but for once, I felt more or less responsible for her. If only I had nodded my head in response to her offer. It may have been just a matter of inevitability, but it was probably because I¡¯m in this kind of situation. Such ¡°what if¡± scenarios started to bug me. ¡°I¡¯m going to the village chief, and let him know about this matter.¡± My guess is that my father came running to me first upon hearing the news of Ogre sightings to let me know how dangerous it is out there. ¡°Head back and go straight home. Do you understand, Julius?¡± ¡°I heard you.¡± Did he not trust me at all? My father would always keep asking me to confirm things. It wasn¡¯t as if Sofia¡¯s possibility of coming back was zero; I wouldn¡¯t dare to make any sudden actions. ¡°¡­Hey, Dad?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Are you by any chance thinking that I¡¯m worried sick about Sofia?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that the case?¡± He stared back at me with a straight face, as if to say that it was a given thing. ¡°Isn¡¯t Sofia the only one here who you get along with?¡± ¡°¡­Well, yeah. That¡¯s the case.¡± It was a bit of a misconception to say that we get along well. Rather than getting along well, she was the only one who wanted to care about some dream as ridiculous as ¡°Star Slaying.¡± So on the contrary, Sofia was just trying to kill her boredom by taking care of an outcast like me. I didn¡¯t know why I couldn¡¯t get over the fact that people say that we¡¯re good friends. ¡°As I¡¯ve already told you¡ª¡± One quick preamble. ¡°No matter what happens, just don¡¯t get too conceited about this situation.¡± My dad was what they called a hunter, a villager who was a bit more skilled with a bow. They¡¯re villagers who sometimes hunted birds and monsters for food. There were about three other hunters like my father in the village. However, goblins are vicious monsters that act in groups. So being as cautious as they were, they chose to ask for help from adventurers just in case. A sound reason. ¡°Even though physical training is just an essential part of living as a villager, do not think that you¡¯ve gotten stronger just because you¡¯ve been swinging around a piece of stick for four years. You¡¯d be making a grave mistake.¡± My father must have been worried. Worried that I was going to bravely face the ogre on my own. That I was overconfident, thinking that I got stronger. ¡°I understand what you¡¯re saying. You don¡¯t need to tell me such things.¡± However, his concern wasn¡¯t even necessary. Because I knew that I, Julius, was the most self-reliant person in this world. It was outrageous to be so overconfident. Did I think that I was the chosen one? Would circumstances warrant me miracles? Would God come down and help? Was I the strongest person out there? I remembered the life of a swordsman who wielded his sword with the utmost honesty, and there were no other people in this world who knew their place as well as I did. Therefore, if there was ever a time to be reckless, it was probably when you were willing to throw all reason aside for the sake of something. It was when you were confronted with something that you want to achieve so badly. ¡°¡­It¡¯s all good, then.¡± He said as he turned his back on me and proceeded to go to the village chief. I saw a familiar back. And yet, somehow, reflected in my eyes, my father¡¯s back appeared much smaller than it usually seemed. ¡ª¡ª ¡ª¡ª Chapter 4 Star-Slaying Swordsman Chapter 4 ¡°¡­Just what in the hell is that Sofia doing?¡± I thought to myself as I tried to hide the uneasy feeling that was swirling within my chest. It was already half an hour past the sunset, but there were still no signs of Sofia at all. Darkness enveloped the sky, and aside from the stars that shone down from the heavens, the only light that I could see was coming from the village chief¡¯s house. Demons tended to be attracted to light. So, in order to keep them away as much as possible, having no lights in every house became the norm except for the village chief¡¯s house, where the adults were still discussing the matter at hand. ¡°¡­Sigh¡­¡± For some reason, it was rather chilly outside. It felt as if the sigh I let out appeared whiter than it really was. I was standing in front of the door as if to wait for someone outside the house, but it was only a matter of time before I decided to come back inside. As such, I didn¡¯t know anything about what they were discussing at the village chief¡¯s house. When I told my mother that I wanted to wait for Sofia to come home, she gave me permission to wait outside the house. Like my father, my mother also must have misunderstood the relationship we had with each other. But I didn¡¯t dare to correct her, because it was more convenient this time. ¡°¡­I wonder what they¡¯ve been talking about in there¡­¡± The commotion could be easily heard from a short distance away. I wouldn¡¯t think that they were having a rather peaceful discussion. I was curious about what they were talking about, so I told myself to eavesdrop for a little while, and walked toward the village chief¡¯s house. ¡°As I said, we¡¯d have to wait until tomorrow morning!!!¡± A voice, more enraged than anything I¡¯d ever heard before. The sound of the voice, which must have been a man¡¯s, vibrated through my eardrums¡­ ¡°A child had gone outside the village, and still hasn¡¯t come back yet¡­ It¡¯s too late to take action tomorrow morning¡­!¡± ¡°Monsters can see at night, and so they tend to show their true colors! I don¡¯t know what you want us to do¡­ Are you implying that I should abandon my life?! Do I even have the obligation for that?!¡± ¡°¡­¡± The man intimidated the room as he engaged in the conversation with his brash voice. And among the scary voices, I recognized one. Because it belonged to Alec, the chief of this village, and the father of my childhood friend, Sofia. I peeked out of the small window where the light was coming in and saw a group of four men I had never seen before. Another five people from my village, including the village chief and my father, were all squabbling with each other. By nature, I was just supposed to be a naive 12-year-old villager. However, the life of a certain swordsman that I had seen that day had a strong influence on my personality. And because of that, my understanding of monsters was greater than others. That was probably why¡­ It turned out that the man whose voice offended me was right. Maybe that was why¡­ I¡¯d come to the conclusion that miracles didn¡¯t conveniently happen. I guess that was why¡­ Even with just a glance, I could tell that the strange men who were shouting against the village people were probably adventurers. That was¡­ probably why. Instead of getting closer, I decided to turn my back away from the village chief¡¯s house. And the reason was¡­ ¡°I¡­ wonder why.¡± I looked up at the sky with a wry smile, questioning an action that even I still didn¡¯t fully understand. The stars that were shining far away in the distance looked down on me. ¡°Do I really think I could win? ¡­No. The me of this day couldn¡¯t even afford to have a vision of me winning.¡± The opponent was a monster that could make a grown man cower in fear. An ogre. My father was right. No matter how vivid my memory was, it¡¯s only been four years since I longed to be a swordsman¡ª a ¡°Star Slayer.¡± A superficial experience, having to be next to zero, wouldn¡¯t suffice. The factors that build up confidence were the number of opportunities and the amount of experience accumulated. There was no way I could have had the confidence to win if I didn¡¯t have those things. Even if the Ogre and I were to face each other, it would be necessary for me to risk my life at all costs. Because otherwise, the fire burning in me would die out without being able to properly struggle for it. So if I¡¯m not confident enough, why was this bugging me? Why? ¡°Good grief¡­ I really wonder why.¡± As I turned my back away from the village chief¡¯s house, I didn¡¯t find my feet going back to mine, but to the place where I had been pretend-swinging just a few hours ago. What was it that I wanted to accomplish in the first place? That is¡­ to Slay the Stars. I had just told Sofia that I was going to continue training in order to become a ¡°Star Slayer.¡± Without needing it to be pointed out to me, I was well aware of my lack of skill and experience. I¡¯d been thinking that I could just wait at home. And when the morning arrived, the adventurers will surely defeat it. I wanted to hope for the best. It wasn¡¯t that the worst had happened yet. Yet, as an ironic response to my thoughts, my legs continued to move on their own. Onward, forward! My head and feet were separated from each other. My thoughts and actions were so out of sync that I couldn¡¯t help but worry about it. *** *** ¡°Is it because I feel sorry for her? ¡­No, it¡¯s not that either.¡± From what I¡¯d heard from the would-be adventurer, Sofia was going to be a half-abandoned soul, all alone in the capital. So maybe I feel sorry for her, and¡ª That very thought occurred to me, but I quickly dismissed it. I knew better than anyone else that I was not a person with a sense of justice or compassion. Why, then? Why was I choosing an option where I could get killed if I encountered it? There was hardly anything left that could be the answer. That was why it was so easy to get to where I was going right now. ¡°I guess¡­ I don¡¯t want to lose her, huh¡­¡± Four years ago, ever since that day. The life of a swordsman was vividly etched in my memory. Since then, I aspired to become a swordsman, as if I had instantly changed into a new person, but of course, I had lived a villager¡¯s life before that. ¡°You used to have the eyes like those of a dead fish, but now your eyes look like they belong to a human.¡± Sofia and I grew up together. We¡¯d known each other since birth, you could say. She was already friendly to a certain extent, but after I decided to become a ¡°Star Slayer,¡± Sofia started to get involved with me more than necessary. I guess that was why¡­ She was someone who had been watching me for a long time, and that¡¯s why she said those words. ¡°I¡¯m certain that I don¡¯t want her to die. Yeah, that¡¯s probably why.¡± An acquaintance. I didn¡¯t like the idea of losing someone I know who existed in my memory. Justifying all my concerns and worries. I knew for a fact that having me wander here all alone wouldn¡¯t make a difference, but I still moved forward. It was because I didn¡¯t want to lose her. An action that sprouted from my childish thoughts. Even if I remembered the life of that swordsman, and became more or less an intellectual, I wouldn¡¯t be able to change the root of this problem. I smiled bitterly as I was made aware that I was still a 12-year-old boy. ¡°Besides¡­¡± Wasn¡¯t this a good opportunity? My smile widened at such a thought. ¡°I knew that someday, I¡¯d have to cross some kind of hurdle.¡± It just happened to be today. This turning point in my life seemed to be pretty early, but I can¡¯t deny the fact that I¡¯d never trained enough to stand up to this time. But if you think about it, even the swordsman in my dream didn¡¯t have enough time to accomplish his longing of ¡°Slaying the Stars¡±. A longing that is never too early, but never too late. ¡°What¡¯s an Ogre to a dream of ¡®Slaying the Stars?¡¯¡± It¡¯s easy to be intimidated. It¡¯s easy to turn a blind eye. It¡¯s easy to only do the things that are convenient for you. And it¡¯s easy to keep doing them again and again. Would I be able to reach my dream of ¡°Slaying the Stars¡± in the end? Could such a person reach the extreme where even the Sword Demon who abandoned everything and swung his sword in desperation could not reach? My answer was no. ¡°¡­I know what I have to do.¡± I had memories from a very good teacher. It was easy to imagine that the swordsman would probably not even give an ogre a second thought. After all, I had seen the life of that swordsman, and how fierce his swordsmanship was. So I could say that if I traced the swordsman¡¯s memories correctly, there was absolutely no way I could lose. ¡°Well, that should take my worries away for the time being.¡± Competence, experience, and skill. There were so many things missing from my life. It would be foolish for me to head out there with all of these thoughts in my head. There was only one thing that the weak me, the present me, was allowed to do. It was to be selfless and seize the best possible outcome. There were too many things that I was lacking at the moment, including my own abilities and experience. So I let go of any unnecessary thoughts. I couldn¡¯t have these worries get to me. I had to let the swirling doubts dissipate. Acknowledging my situation, I exhaled. ¡°I¡¯ll only do what I can.¡± Suppose I left Sofia to die here. I was certain that it would be a cross that would haunt me for the rest of my life. I had a dream of slaying the stars which I wanted to accomplish in my lifetime. I would have regrets. It wasn¡¯t an easy feat to slay a star while carrying a heavy responsibility. ¡°Slaying the Stars¡± was not a sugary dream which could be accomplished with regrets alone. That was why I was coming back for Sofia, for my own ambitions. I ignored the part of me that refused to let Sofia die, and gave myself a bunch of convoluted reasons to do so, taking another step away from the scene. ¡°Oh?¡± I was heading down the path that led to the banks of the river outside the village when I heard another unfamiliar voice. This time, a slightly higher tone, distinctly a female. She looked very much with the likes of the men who had been arguing at the village chief¡¯s house earlier. Instantly judging her, I thought that she must be an adventurer too. ¡°Hey, you. Where are you going?¡± ¡°Home. My home is over there. That¡¯s where I¡¯ll be.¡± In fact, the house itself existed. There was only one house that existed beside the road leading out of the village. ¡°I see. It¡¯s dangerous, so don¡¯t go wandering outside the village.¡± ¡°Okay. Thank you very much, I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± One thing was¡­ that it was an already-abandoned place that wasn¡¯t being used. Apart from my house, there was no way that a woman I had never met before, passing by at random, could have known that my statement was a lie. And that it was not where I was headed. ¡ª¡ª ¡ª¡ª Chapter 5 Star-Slaying Swordsman Chapter 5 There laid a broken hoe randomly, one with a slightly crooked edge. I picked it up and gave it a test swing once or twice using only my wrist. ¡°Hm.¡± It gave me a familiar feeling. A scrap of a stick, which I had been wielding day in and out, felt good in my hands. I faintly hoped that I would just find her in this unused shed, but hopes alone didn¡¯t get me anywhere. There were no signs of people coming and going here, let alone Sofia. ¡° ¡­Guess I¡¯ll go.¡± I didn¡¯t have the time to be standing around here. I¡¯d already decided what course of action I was going to do next, but only a little, there occurred a tiny detail that others wouldn¡¯t be able to see, and it frightened me. Being an unknown adversary to me, I¡¯d never actually faced a monster before in my life. I immediately understood that this was the most important factor surrounding my uneasiness. But¡ª ¡°Ha¡ª haha. Hahahaha¡­¡± As soon as I realized that I was frightened, the corners of my mouth began to twist into a hideous laugh that I didn¡¯t want to hear. This was not my vanity, not a pretense, not a scheme, but an outburst of my deepest feelings. I couldn¡¯t help but be amused by the fact that it was just as the swordsman who lives in my memory had been saying it, as if he was trying to engrave it into my soul. I couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°Being afraid is what makes a swordsman a swordsman, and there is no room for growth for those who aren¡¯t. The emotion that drives one¡¯s growth is fear, and therefore, I approve of it. Do you think those who are frightened are weak? Declare anything you want, but I¡¯m not going to change my mind. For what reason? Because this ¡°fright¡± of yours will be my food¡­ my nourishment. Alas! Thank you for allowing me to be frightened. And thanks to you, ¡ªI would be able to climb even greater heights.¡± The first emotion that came to mind was ¡°fright.¡± Most people wouldn¡¯t be so positive about that emotion, but those feelings fueled my desire to be strong. That¡¯s what I knew in my head. And for that reason, I laughed. I burst out with joy, amusement, and happiness. ¡°I¡¯m going to affirm it. Indeed, this very feeling shouldn¡¯t be dismissed. On the contrary, I should hold onto it with utmost importance.¡± I felt scared, terrified. So all the more reason for it to be diminished by my desire of wanting to be stronger. ¡°Yeah¡­ This is not bad. Keeping on swinging my sword towards unseen heights hasn¡¯t been so bad, but this feeling isn¡¯t so bad too, after all.¡± It was rather comforting. My emotion, my ¡°fear,¡± was wrapped up in joy, and a feeling of elation filled my body. The only regret I had was that I wished I had a sword in my hand at this very moment, as I was feeling all this heat and excitement. I gripped the stick with strong vigor, following my emotions. ¡°This is really¡­ not so bad.¡± I muttered to myself as I turned my back from the shed. Getting farther to the village but closer to the river, I thought if Sofia was hiding anywhere, it¡¯d be in that cave-like place where she said she used for shelter in times of rain. I had a general idea of what to expect, and I started moving my feet. Even though I felt sorry for my father who had insisted that I stay home, the direction of my house was the last thing I¡¯d wanted to look at. There was no hesitation in my gait. ¡°Giii¡­!¡± A goblin with sooty green skin squealed, stirring up discomfort in my eardrums. It sounded sparse and out of nowhere, I felt my heart clench a little. It took me about 10 minutes to walk from the village to the river bank. I had never seen them in the daytime, but somehow I could hear their distinctive cries coming from everywhere. I couldn¡¯t see them, and I was only now beginning to recognize the fact that their presence alone was draining my spirit. ¡°This is a lot harder than I expected¡­¡± There¡¯s the extreme tension of not knowing when you will be attacked. It just dragged on and on, with no end in sight, making the fatigue in my mental state accelerate even more. To be found or not to be found. I thought countless times if I was going to be attacked or not, but the tension came to an abrupt end. ¡°Gii¡­¡± It was about time I confronted my enemy. ¡°Of¡­ course. I really can¡¯t just walk past, right?¡± I will challenge the ogre. That¡¯s why I decided not to waste my energy on a goblin. I had a feeling somewhere inside of me of not wanting to do any more fighting than I actually had to. But there was no reason for such a wish to come true. And hence, right in front of me, with the piercing gaze of a predator on its prey, a pair of glowing red eyes shot out at me. The club-like weapon swayed slightly, as if it was focused on me. I exhaled. I let out a deep sigh, as well as all of the tension that had built up inside me. The longer I waited, the more goblins that were scattered around would come here. I had to finish off the goblin in front of me as quickly as possible. Calming my rapidly beating heart, I opened my mouth. ¡°Here I come.¡± I was aware that I had little to no muscle strength, nor did I have any skills. All I could do was mimic. All I had to do was give him a blow that even the current me could embody. I had drawn the action I was about to do in my mind over and over again, and I had already decided what I was going to do the moment I swung my sword. TL/Note: The sword he¡¯s talking about is the stick hoe he picked up at the beginning of this chapter. That is why¡­ ¡°I¡¯ll end you in an instant.¡± I proclaimed to him arrogantly. ¡ª¡ª ¡ª¡ª Chapter 6 Star-Slaying Swordsman Chapter 6 From the tips of my fingers that touched it, my senses were sharpened as I held the stick that I had been wielding for the past four years. It had no reason nor logic behind it, but it seemed like I could treat it as if it were my very own limb. I put aside the feelings that had been seeping into my heart and held the stick to my right eye. And then¡­ After a few seconds of silence, a footstep sounded nearby. That moment¡­ was my cue to start. It stood at about 130cm. A small body, much smaller than mine, jumped forward slightly at the same time as a squeal echoed through the air. ¡°Giii!¡± The sooty green color was very similar in hue to the night darkness. So much for straining my eyes, because I still lost sight of it for a moment. But¡ª ¡°I can hear it.¡± The sound of leaves rustling unnaturally. The sound of footsteps, the wind, and¡­ its discomforting squeal. The darkness that covered the skies intruded into my vision, making it impossible for me to see with sufficient clarity. Thus, I used my ears. I shut off my five basic senses and left it all to the one that is most trustworthy at this moment. ¡°I may not be able to see you, but I can hear you.¡± It must be this timing. With this thought in my mind, I swang the stick straight ahead in a fluid motion at head level. ¡°Ggh- Gii!¡± ¡°Bingo.¡± In addition to the hard feeling that came from the stick, I heard a voice that sounded to be very much in anguish. There was a height difference between us, one of us taller than the other with me swinging from the top, to which I think I had the advantage in terms of windup power. It was clear from this moment which side would bear the greater portion of pain. Some strange smell wafted through my nose as I got closer to the goblin. Frowning at the stench of its body odor, I created distance between myself and the goblin by leaping backward and tilting the stick held in my right eye to the side. Then just as soon as my feet, which had been lifted off the ground by leaping back, touched the ground again, I bent my legs like a spring, kicked the earth with all my might, and began to close in again. ¡°Now, this¡­!!!¡± I swang the stick through its neck in a manner similar to a dojo. I made it look like I was trying to keep my distance, but instead, I took advantage of the situation. I delivered a merciless blow to an unprotected limb. ¡°GAH! Ahh¡­!!!¡± A delayed cry of pain was generated by a hard blow to his respiratory organs. Taking advantage of the momentum of its thinning flesh, I looked back over my shoulder and saw that I was still unable to defeat the goblin, who was moaning as he collapsed. A blow unleashed with the intention of mowing down his consciousness¡­ ¡­is what I wanted to deliver, but I didn¡¯t succeed in doing so. The lack of power of my own was undeniably felt on my skin and cast a shadow on my expression, but that too was only for this moment. ¡°Sorry, but I don¡¯t have time for you right now.¡± His crimson eyes, filled with an unyielding fighting spirit, kept staring at me as if they wanted to shoot me dead. But I dodged and avoided his attacks, trying to approach him again without any wasted efforts. ¡°It¡¯s a pain to be chased by you now that it came to this, so I¡¯ll deal with you now.¡± Having said that, I raised the stick in my hand. I couldn¡¯t cast magic, but I could stifle a goblin with a piece of stick. I didn¡¯t know how many blows it would take to accomplish such a thing, and it would eat up an inordinate amount of time. The enemy was suffering from a bruised throat. I swung the stick at the still crouching goblin before it could recover. THWACK¡ª The contact between his stony head and the stick shook my eardrums with a hard sound, and soon after, the goblin with his white eyes fell completely to the ground. *** *** Apparently, they were the weakest monster. But they were as tough as this, despite having such a name. And in contrast, goblins and ogres are comparable to babies and adults. I wondered in the slightest bit if I was going to be alright. I was worried that the wall was too low for me to climb over, but I pulled myself up and turned my back on the knocked-out goblin. ¡°Haah¡ª Ah¡­¡± All my pent-up breaths, the tension, the anxiety, the concerns of mine. They all worked out reasonably well. I let out my emotions with a deep sigh of relief and let my body relax. My first real battle. The first time I faced a monster. The fact that I swung my stick, my weapon at something for the first time. The feeling still in my hand affirmed that all these things were true. If a third party had been watching this situation, they would have pointed out that it would be impossible to defeat an ogre even if heaven and earth turned upside down. Perhaps they would have praised me for defeating the goblin, and that alone would have been enough. That was exactly where my limitations lay, and that was the point I was trying to make. ¡°¡­Ha¡ª Hahaha!¡± I¡­ laughed. The reason for that was because it was too far away. The place where the swordsman in my dream was standing was too far away. The series of moves I just used on the goblin was not a matter of skill, but an act of imitation that the swordsman was doing as a matter of course. Sleep, wake up. The level of normality was no different from such an act, so I didn¡¯t think I could pull it off. It seemed to me that defeating the ogre was far from possible. Additionally, monsters had bodies that were more specialized for combat than humans. The difference in performance as an individual between me and such a relatively high-ranking ogre was far too great. ¡°I wonder why¡­ For some reason, I don¡¯t feel like losing at all.¡± It¡¯d only been 4 years. If it was just a boy who kept on swinging a stick, he probably could not have defeated the ogre even if the heavens and the earth were turned upside down. But standing here was a boy who remembered the life of a renowned swordsman who dreamed of being a ¡°Star Slayer.¡± Therefore, even the art of defeating an ogre existed in my mind. It was impossible for me to reproduce that swordsman¡¯s masterful technique now, but if I could get away with an imperfect and inferior imitation, I could manage it. If you force yourself to do something you didn¡¯t know how to do, your arms, muscles, and nerves might suffer permanent damage. But¡­ Even if it¡¯s just an imitation¡­ Perhaps it could be turned into a blade that reaches the ogre. I could have sworn that would be the case. The masterful technique of a swordsman who devoted his life to ¡°Star Slaying¡± was an imitation. It was because I was the only one who had seen it that I could assure everyone that the ogre was not an insurmountable wall. However, it was a prerequisite for me to exceed my current limits. ¡°I just¡­ can¡¯t imagine his swordsmanship losing.¡± To slay the stars. The ultimate technique that I had continued to study in pursuit of just that. I had absolute faith in it. ¡°Of course I¡¯m afraid¡­ afraid of the ogre. But as long as I aim to be a ¡°Star Slayer,¡± I can¡¯t stop here. So, let every ¡°fear¡± be my food!¡± After overcoming this, a new world will open up that is different from the one I live in now. That¡¯s what I feel like, and that¡¯s what I¡¯m going to say to myself. ¡°Now, then¡­¡± I was worried about my childhood friend, and I still wasn¡¯t certain as to what was going on. ¡°I should hurry.¡± I raised my brows at the thought of the goblins possibly closing in on the very edge of the village, and I began to rush off. ¡ª¡ª ¡ª¡ª Chapter 7 Star-Slaying Swordsman Chapter 7 There was a cave-like area formed by a series of overlapping rocks on the banks of the river near the outside of the village. A small cave that only a small child would be able to enter. As I made my way forward, I thought that if Sofia were to hide, it would be there where she used to go to take shelter from the rain. And sure enough, when I arrived at my destination, my eyes could clearly see a familiar silhouette, even though it was the middle of the night. ¡°Heeey!!!¡± I saw Sofia, the girl crouching with her head in her hands, and I called out to her. Her whole body was shaking, and I turned to her. But I heard no response. She appeared to be covering both ears with her hands, as if she was trying not to hear the sounds around her as much as possible. ¡°Hm¡­¡± So I racked my brains a little and decided to mince the words I was going to use and decided to use words that Sofia might respond to. ¡°Hey, that runaway girl right there!¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m not a runaway! ¡­Huh? Julius?¡± ¡°Yeah. I was the reason why you¡¯re out here right now, so I¡¯m just taking you back home.¡± ¡°Take me home¡­?¡± When I answered nonchalantly, she peeled her eyes away, as if she couldn¡¯t believe it. ¡°There are a lot of monsters here, you know that right?! Like a lot of them!¡± ¡°Yeah, it seems like it.¡± Sofia¡¯s expression twinkled as if she was taken aback when I replied casually, this time with a crackle. I didn¡¯t express it in words, but I knew there was something she wanted to imply with her constantly changing expressions. ¡°If you¡¯re thinking about the goblins, I can take them down. I didn¡¯t kill it, but I impaired one on my way here.¡± ¡°¡­Y- You shouldn¡¯t lie like that, Julius.¡± It was known that even the ¡°hunters¡± like the dads in the village were having a hard time with the goblins. Her words came out one after another, all of which encouraged her opinion of denial, as if to think that I was only joking despite encountering goblins. ¡°I¡¯m not lying, what I just said was true¡­¡± While looking around restlessly, she wondered if there was anything she could do to prove her right. I wasn¡¯t trying to be boastful by any means. But as much as I wanted to prove my point to get her out of here, I realized that the cave Sofia was currently hiding in was in full view from the outside. She hid here because she probably thought it was safe, but in a place where you could see the entirety of the inside from the outside, you could hardly call it safe by any standard. I wanted to leave this place as soon as possible, but I¡¯d rather wait it out until the morning and catch my breath, rather than run aimlessly, considering we¡¯re two helpless children. Sofia was sure to voice her opinion, and because I had anticipated this, I needed proof to shut her down. And then, suddenly¡­ I noticed a bloodstain on the tip of the stick I was holding. Because the tip had been bent down, there was a slightly sharp point on it. Perhaps that part had partially penetrated through the goblin¡¯s skin. ¡°Err¡­ Look!¡± I then show Sofia the bloodstained tip of the stick. Reddish-black, the color of blood unique to the monsters. Fortunately, I only had one encounter with a goblin and I guess I was lucky that I was able to reach this place without being attacked by any other goblins. ¡°Do you believe me now?¡± I slightly distanced the stick from Sofia, so that the sharp part won¡¯t hit her. She stared intently at the bloodstains, and at the same time, her nose twitched. ¡° E-Ehh¡­ Are you serious? You really defeated a goblin, Julius? ¡­Ah¡ª It reeks so bad. Uuuh¡­ I shouldn¡¯t have smelled it.¡± She pinched her nose as hard as she could and contorted her face at the stench that had clung to the piece of stick, as though she couldn¡¯t stand it. ¡°Does it smell that bad?¡± While Sofia was writhing with her nose pinched, I moved the tip closer to my nose to confirm the smell I had not noticed until now. ¡°UWA¡ª It stinks!!!¡± There was a strange odor wafting through the air so foul that I could not help but cringe. ¡°But say, how come you¡¯re unharmed at this moment? Oh, no, it¡¯s not like I wanted something to happen to you or something! It¡¯s just that I often hear that monsters are sensitive to the smell of blood¡­¡± Monsters are sensitive to the smell of blood. That was a story that was as factual as anyone knew. ¡°Maybe I just got lucky¡ª¡± My thinking paused. You could say that my world had slowed down. And from then on, I was trapped in a whirlpool of thoughts. *** *** I was lucky. I had not paid attention to it until now, but I thought it was ridiculously comical. Once I had doubts, I was finished. The feelings of uncertainty that surfaced bubbled up endlessly. The unpleasant screeching that I had been hearing so loudly since the battle now cannot be heard. The goblins should be flooding near us by now, but it even seems like their presence has faded away. Why? How? Doubts led to more doubts, a creeping feeling in my spine, and a sudden thirst hit my throat. ¡°It¡¯s just that I often hear that monsters are sensitive to the smell of blood¡­¡± Sofia¡¯s voice, which had shaken my eardrums a few moments before, was partially cut there only to rewind a little bit after. ¡­It was blood, the smell of blood. I didn¡¯t know why, but the presence of goblins had diminished since the smell of blood started wafting around me. What would normally be rather thick, somehow became thinner. That was the reason. When I thought about it, I was struck by a sudden thirst, and at the same time, one word came to my mind. ¡°Ogre.¡± The answer I finally arrived at, in a voice devoid of emotion, trembled in my throat as I try to voice it out. Monsters had no intelligence. They had no sense of reason, either. If so, what did monsters live according to? The answer was¡­ their INSTINCT. We followed our instincts as a species. It was instinct to bow down to the strong It was also instinctive to step aside, to wait, and to obey. My sense of alarm went off, constantly echoing throughout my brain. Just¡­ what if the reason the goblins were gone wasn¡¯t luck, but the ogre was after me because of the smell? I didn¡¯t know why, but I could hear the sound of missing pieces of the puzzle snapping into place. ¡°This is bad¡ª¡± With this thought, I turned my back on Sofia, who was still cowering in the cave, and hurriedly looked back behind me. What I saw was¡­ ¡°Grra¡ª Aaahhhhh¡­¡± There laid a monster. A monster with a body so strong that it could not be compared to that of a human being. There was not the slightest sign of the goblins that I had felt just a few minutes before. ¡°When did he get here¡ª?¡± An aura of strength that overwhelmed the surroundings engulfed the place, leaving me in a state of agitation. ¡°¡­No. He was¡­ at my tail all this time¡­¡± I had caught wind of rumors that monsters of higher ranks tended to be exceptionally intelligent. The ogre with bloodshot eyes had me in its sights. Why? Because I stomped on one of his kind just earlier. ¡°¡­Give me a goddamn break.¡± I can win. Blindingly aware of the ogre¡¯s tactics, I revised my assessment of him to be somewhat higher. Red, bloated muscles. A rusty greatsword that would have been taller than I am. And above all, unlike the goblin with a vile smile on his face, the ogre had not the slightest intention of underestimating me. ¡°Sofia.¡± I called out the name of my childhood friend who, like myself, gasped at the sight of the ogre, precisely because we had determined that the ogre was still in a wait-and-see stage. Perhaps the goblins had taken shelter in a place much further away than here to avoid being caught in the storm of the ogre. ¡°I think there won¡¯t be any goblins around here at this moment, so, run.¡± ¡°W-What about you?!¡± The ogre couldn¡¯t understand human language, but I think he somehow, instinctively sensed what we were up to¡­ running away. And that was probably why the ogre, which was supposed to be watching us, let out a furious scream. ¡°Me?¡± I had already decided what I¡¯d do by the time I had resolved myself into going here. ¡°That¡¯s a given.¡± Compared to the big sword that showed its presence, despite rusting, my short, light piece of stick was rather unreliable. I couldn¡¯t help but laugh at the situation I found myself in. ¡°We met rather early¡­ but, oh well.¡± It may be too late, but there was no such thing as too early. I told myself this and then turned to the snarling ogre and Sofia as if to threaten them. ¡°At any rate, there has to be someone to take on this ogre, right? Hell to ¡®Slaying the Stars¡¯ if I get defeated in a place like this. I won¡¯t lose.¡± ¡°B-But¡ª¡± Nevertheless, Sofia was not willing to back down. Whether the ogre would chase after his escaping prey or if he¡¯d let her go to take me on was beyond my thought right now. What I was certain about was that he wasn¡¯t willing to wait anymore. ¡°GAAAH¡ª!¡± His mouth opened with a snap, and the sharp, fang-like canine teeth peeked out. ¡°GGGAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!¡± His mighty scream cut through the darkness of the night, laying a merciless devastation before it. ¡ª¡ª ¡ª¡ª Chapter 8 Star-Slaying Swordsman Chapter 8 The way the orc let out his scream scattered a frenzy of emotion befitting a howl of a rabid dog. Either way, I believed there might have been the slightest chance of victory just lurking around. However¡­ ¡°¡­¡­¡± The screaming suddenly stopped, then a moment of silence followed suit. My carelessness and the opportunity to win that I had unintentionally held in my heart immediately turned on me. A huge rusty sword found itself in front of me. Time¡­ stopped. It felt as if I had been stretched many times over, and I fell into a strange sensation, as though I was cut off from the world. (It¡¯s¡­ fast!) Without even the time to change my feelings into words, a sharp, deadly blade loomed over me. There were only so many actions that I could take from here. The ogre¡¯s approaching greatsword was in a sideways cleaving trajectory, aiming for the neck. As such, I had to either deflect it away from my body or use the stick in my hand to forcefully change its trajectory. ¡°Hah¡­ Ahhh¡ª¡± As hard as I possibly could, I breathed in and then put all my strength into my body. There was no time to think. My only option was to leave everything to my senses. I forcefully leaned back. My body moved a couple of seconds faster than my mind could come to a clear, final decision. And then the time, which had been slowing down, began to move again. The sound of a fierce wind cutting through the air was like a breeze along with a greatsword passing right over my face. ¡°You¡­!!!¡± I put my right hand on the ground and twisted my body to avoid the attack. ¡°This is payback!!!¡± A roundhouse kick from below directly aimed at his core. But¡­ ¡°Ggaaaah¡­?¡± He turned his head as if to suggest that a mosquito had just stuck on him. The blow didn¡¯t even give the ogre the slightest itch. I had immediately judged that a kick would not be decisive enough, so I hurriedly kicked the ground, jumped, and moved away from the ogre. ¡°¡­Jeez. If this isn¡¯t tough¡­¡± Suigetsu¡ª A technique delivered directly into his solar plexus, yet he didn¡¯t show any sign of struggling for breath, The feeling rushing through my feet was a feeling as if I had kicked a large rock. It dealt no damage. Fed up with my disappointing results, I breathed in and out roughly, letting out my pent-up breaths. There was not a single expression nor a shred of the normal composure on my face, except for a forced smile. ¡°But, oh well.¡± I wasn¡¯t sure if it was of joy or pleasure, but the ogre¡¯s mouth twisted into a big, dark smile. Though, this was a situation in which I had to indulge, all because Sofia was in a good position to make her escape. It was her presence that made me really concerned about this incident. Not that I would use her as the reason I let my guard down earlier, but I still didn¡¯t want her to be here with me. ¡°Sofia.¡± My gaze shot through the ogre¡¯s figure as I weaved my words. ¡°What¡­ is it?¡± ¡°There are adventurers with the village chief right now. Could you get those people from the village for me?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll hang on until then, so please do me a favor.¡± *** *** That was a lie. My request for her to fetch the adventurers was nothing more than an excuse to try to get her to leave the place. I could assure her that it would probably be more effective than anything else, that was why I told such a lie with a straight face. Besides, those adventurers wouldn¡¯t consider making a move¡­ at the very least, not until the morning came. They won¡¯t budge no matter what persuasion she¡¯d do, and moreover, she¡¯d be under protection there. With that said, this set the stage. Me and the ogre¡­ just the two of us. I stared deep into his eyes without the slightest intention of looking away. He must have sensed that there was an unwavering determination in them. ¡°O¡­kay¡­¡± Perhaps the result of her own self-reproach, she decided to call for the adventurers who might be in the village, rather than just hiding out here helplessly. With tears streaming down her face, Sofia said just that and ran off in the direction of the village. ¡°Was that for the best?¡± I asked the ogre as I stared into her back as she ran farther and farther away from me. For some reason, the one who swung his greatsword at me to catch me off guard was now patiently waiting for Sofia to get away. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t¡­ mind.¡± A heavy, resonant voice from the depths of his gut sounded through. Although faltering, they were unmistakably¡­ words. I was astonished by the fact that a monster spoke the human language, but I thought how trifling a matter it was, considering that we were about to have a fight. ¡°I see.¡± His mouth was twisted in amusement. The ogre in front of me looked like a ferocious, horrifying beast readying to feast on its prey, who was truly looking forward to the fight. I¡¯d bet he loved to fight. I dwelled about the reason why he let Sofia go, considering he could fight reasonably well with his sword. Was it just pride? I didn¡¯t know the answer to that question, but whether I knew the answer or not wouldn¡¯t make my situation any better. I decided to put those doubts behind me. ¡°Since we¡¯re going to do this, I¡¯ll tell you my name. You¡¯re into that kind of thing, right? A knight who came to our village once told me¡­ I think it¡¯s battle etiquette¡­¡± I tried to catch him off guard by saying these things¡­ If only he could comprehend what I just said. I had no power, and if I didn¡¯t do something like this to get his guard down a little bit, I wouldn¡¯t stand a chance. I needed just one blow. And to create enough of an opening to do so. ¡°I¡¯m Julius, the successor to the ¡®Sword Demon¡¯s¡¯ will¡­ and the future ¡®Star Slayer.¡¯¡± ¡°Nanaji.¡± He muddled up part of it, but I was certain he wanted to say that he¡¯s ¡°Nameless.¡± (TL/Note: ¡®Nanashi¡¯ ÃûŸo¤· in Japanese means ¡®nameless¡¯, but since his way of speaking is muddled due to his nature being an ogre, it came out as ¡®Nanaji¡¯.) Judging from that, I put more pressure on my hand. I wasn¡¯t letting go of my focus on the ogre that was foolishly and honestly listening to my words. It was his pride that let him do so. It was the only gap between us two, and despite having a little fun in our little conversation, it¡¯d make no difference to my current situation. I only had one chance. Should I miss the opportunity, there¡¯d be no more. Above all, I could probably only release this once with my own strength. ¡°I¡¯m going to eat everything you have. Your strength, your pride, everything¡­ I will make it my sustenance!!!¡± My body made noise as it creaked. Trace, follow, imitate. I saw where I was headed. My goal was deeply engraved in my head, and the best possible move was always available. A spiteful and inferior imitation. But even this inferiority of mine would surely reach the ogre in front of me. In a moment¡¯s lapse of consciousness, I stepped in. There would be no next time, no anything. I was giving this a shot. I risked everything on this moment of certainty. I gambled everything on this moment so that I would be able to make the most surefire blow. ¡°I¡¯ll slash and slay you out.¡± I heard the sound of something tearing. Then a creak¡­ Followed by a sound of something breaking apart. But it wouldn¡¯t stop. The arm that I used to swing, nor the foot that I used to step, ceased to back down, all because¡­ I knew in advance that I would have to pay a reasonable price to handle this masterful technique. I knew instinctively that there was no way to win except by using this technique. ¡°¡­Oh shooting star¡ª¡± One blow would decide it. Fascinated by such a skill, I unleashed myself. By imitating the technique of a swordsman who dreamed of becoming a ¡°Star Slayer,¡± I had finally arrived at the end of my training. ¡ª¡ª ¡ª¡ª Chapter 9 Star-Slaying Swordsman Chapter 9 There laid a lone house illuminated by the twilight from afar. Perhaps because she was used to the darkness, even such warm and gentle light made her squint, but she ran regardless of that. She ran, and ran¡ª and ran¡­ It was as I said, that the adventurers were really out there, and my words weren¡¯t just makeshift lies¡­ Then¡ª Sofia abruptly pushed open the door with great force. ¡°Ha-aaaahhh¡ª¡± Sofia looked around the room with her resting on her knees, slowly gulping down air to catch her breath. Inside the house, there were several familiar figures and about five unfamiliar-looking people. ¡­They were adventurers. Sofia affirmed it without even needing to confirm it, and with a gulp of her throat, she bowed her head down vigorously. ¡°Would you please help me?!¡± She raised her voice in the middle of the night, without regard to anyone else. ¡°Sofia! Where the hell have you been all this time¡­?! People have been worried sick about you!!¡± The first person to speak to her was her father, Alec, who was also the village head. But Sofia makes no pretense of taking up the conversation, as though she was unaware of such a thing, and just kept bowing her head to the said unfamiliar people. ¡°¡­Just what do you mean by that, little girl?¡± ¡°We are running out of time¡­ If we don¡¯t hurry up, Julius will¡­¡± Julius. As soon as that certain word was uttered, someone immediately went out the door. Needless to say, it was Julius¡¯ father. ¡°I even warned him about this, that stupid boy¡ª¡± Looking ahead, he saw Julius¡¯ house, to which he rushes out with a steady gait. ¡°What is this? Explain yourself, Sofia.¡± Said Alec quietly in an angry tone of voice. Only Julius¡¯ father seemed to have a general understanding of what was going on, but everyone else, including Alec, had no clue of what was going on. Everyone else, including Alec, was unable to come up with an answer. ¡°Julius¡­ He protected me¡­¡± This was the result of her own reckless behavior. Therefore, Sofia weaved her words one by one. Tormented by remorse, she continuously pleaded with the people for their help, spilling out words filled with emotion with the hopes of them going off to her rescue. ¡°Julius came to help me. But right after that¡­ a huge monster came¡­¡± ¡°¡­A huge monster?¡± The man who questioned it suspiciously was an adventurer, the man who was arguing with Alec when Julius was listening in. ¡°It was a monster way bigger than Julius and I combined¡­ He said it was an ogre.¡± Sofia was too frightened to see properly at that time, so she told them exactly what Julius had said. But as soon as they heard that, the adventurers¡¯ faces visibly turned into stern expressions. *** *** ¡°D-Did you just say it was an ogre, little girl?¡± ¡°Y-Yes, but¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t bother worrying then.¡± With that, the man then slumped into a chair that has been placed nearby. It was the equivalent of him saying that he wouldn¡¯t go, and he wouldn¡¯t help. ¡°In this darkness, even the five of us would probably suffer casualties. Hell, I don¡¯t even know if we could win. I¡¯m just glad that the ogre let you go, and you did a good job running your way back here.¡± He said as if it was a given. ¡°I¡¯ll say it now, but even if the situation had been different, we still have no intention of taking action at this time. Not only is it advantageous to the monsters, but what¡¯s the point in picking up the dead?¡± ¡°You¡­ won¡¯t help Julius?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call the act of picking up his remains ¡®helping¡¯ him.¡± Most likely, he was already dead. Convincing her with his experience, he stressed the fact that if he was lucky enough to survive, it wouldn¡¯t be long before the adventurers found him. ¡°Give it up, little girl. Though, we¡¯ll start to move when this night is over. I could at least promise you that.¡± Sofia herself didn¡¯t think she would be able to escape from the monster. From this moment until dawn, it¡¯d be about seven more hours. ¡° It would be too late by then.¡± ¡°That¡¯s your problem. It¡¯s none of our business.¡± ¡°Wait¡ª¡± In the midst of what seemed to be a parallel conversation in which each side was adamant in their opinions, one voice interrupted the conversation. ¡°Hey, does the guy who helped you¡­. perhaps, have ash gray hair?¡± It was a woman¡¯s voice. ¡°Oh, y-yes. Julius has ash gray hair¡­¡± ¡°Ahh¡ª So it was really him, huh?¡± ¡°Do you know him?¡± ¡°No, we had just passed each other earlier and exchanged a few words. But, I see¡­ It was him, huh¡­¡± Following those words, the woman got to her feet¡­ and walked straight to the door leading outside. ¡°¡­Where do you think you¡¯re going?¡± The man asked in a low voice, somewhat different from before, with a hint of intimidation. ¡°I feel terrible, but do you not? My role is to be on the lookout and keep the villagers from going out, but I¡¯ve already allowed one without even realizing it. I was sending a boy of 10 or so years old out into the forest.¡± ¡°He left on his own volition. You don¡¯t need to feel responsible for that.¡± ¡°I guess so. But¡­ I¡¯m a little curious.¡± ¡°Curious?¡± Somewhat delighted, the woman recalled an event that occurred not too long ago, expressing her thoughts in words. ¡°Yeah, curious. I¡¯m not really sure how I feel about it.¡± Something that was difficult to put into words¡­ was what I thought she was feeling. ¡°Besides, if the ogre gets weakened in any way, we¡¯d better strike it before it recovers, right? Isn¡¯t it better to at least go to the vicinity of the village and stand by?¡± ¡°You think that brat is good enough to weaken the ogre?¡± ¡°How could I possibly know that? Though, you can never know what could happen, can you?¡± She looked not only at the man sitting in the chair but also at the other members of the group who had remained silent for a long time, as if to solicit their opinions. Not a voice, let alone a word of denial¡ª just silence. ¡°It¡¯s decided, then.¡± ¡°But we¡¯re still not going to help you, keep that in mind.¡± ¡°Of course. Though, I feel like something interesting would happen.¡± She put her hand near her waist, then to the shaft of her lowered sword. ¡°My instincts as a swordsman are going wild, I really wonder why¡­¡± ¡ª¡ª ¡ª¡ª Chapter 10 Star-Slaying Swordsman Chapter 10 ¡°¡­Why are you willing to help us?¡± While on their way, Sofia asked the woman walking alongside her. She was there at that moment, heard all the negative repercussions that could happen to her from that place where all her adventurer comrades gathered¡­ It was precisely the reason she had doubts, as if to ask why she was the only one who wanted to help Julius¡­ ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ if I had to put it simply, I¡¯d say the reason is, without a doubt, my intuition.¡± ¡°Your¡­ intuition?¡± ¡°Yes, my intuition¡­ As a swordsman, that is. It was pleading me to go there, so I did.¡± She was saying that helping wasn¡¯t what she came for.. She herself knew that the opinions of the adventurers who were negative about heading there from the beginning were more correct than anything else, but nevertheless, it bothered her. So despite knowing all of what could happen to her, she was still going to clear the doubts swirling in her mind. ¡°But, well¡­ I guess that¡¯s really something. Rest assured that I¡¯ll help him if I consider him still indeed our reach.¡± I was sure the rest of the team was thinking the same way she was. With that remark, she looked reluctantly at the four adventurers who were following her, and lightly cupped her chin. ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t tell you to get your hopes up. But if letting you escape was the first thing he did, then he¡¯s not some fool who can¡¯t foresee the future¡­¡± If he was a fool who just thought he was strong, he would think that he could protect himself. But he let her go before anything else. Judging from his behavior, at least he wasn¡¯t a fool who was blinded by his own arrogance. She continued her analysis calmly with Sofia by her side, who kept a somber look on her face. ¡°There¡¯s still a good possibility of him being alive¡ª¡± A possibility, she said. At first, she tried to mince her words that way. But in reality, she had hesitated, or perhaps it was more appropriate to say that she stopped from doing so. You could say she was at an unintentional loss for words. ¡°¡­Hey, Lilea.¡± One of the adventurers who had been following behind us must have noticed the unusual atmosphere. He rushed up to her in a panic, called out the name of the female adventurer who was with me, Lilea, and asked for confirmation. ¡°¡­Yeah, I heard that too. As a swordsman, there is no way I could have misheard that sound.¡± This sound¡­ Sofia understood from their conversation that they were responding to a certain sound coming from somewhere, but she didn¡¯t know what it was. ¡°What do you mean sound¡ª¡± ¡°Sofia-chan, right?¡± *** *** She asked in order to clear her doubts, but Lilea interrupted her and fired back a question in response. ¡°Um¡­ Yes¡­ Is something the matter?¡± ¡°Are there any swordsmen in your village? ¡­One that is confident in his own skills, that is.¡± ¡°Swordsman.¡± As Sofia heard that very word, a sole image of a boy came to her mind. ¡°¡ªI want to slay the stars.¡± A boy that was appalled by everyone in the village, saying such words as though he was saying them all the time. Not only was there not a single skilled swordsman in the village, but even those who could handle a weapon could only do so much with one hand. There wasn¡¯t anyone who could satisfy the requirements of being a ¡°swordsman,¡± but¡­ There was someone who longed for being one. A young boy, who longed to be a ¡°Star Slayer.¡± ¡°¡­No, there weren¡¯t. But there¡¯s one idiot who longed to be one.¡± He longed to be one. Therefore, he still wasn¡¯t a ¡°swordsman.¡± Sofia¡¯s words were not an answer to Lilea¡¯s question, but despite this, Lilea listened in silence and smiled as to say what she was thinking was right all along. ¡°I see, I knew it. Seems like my intuition was right all along. No wonder my hands were tingling so strangely¡­ That boy¡­ was a swordsman.¡± Lilea removed her gaze from Sofia and refocused on the man who had been running up to her. ¡°Lowe! You¡¯re not going to tell me that he¡¯s dead, are you?¡± ¡°We haven¡¯t decided on that kid at all yet. And I told you I don¡¯t operate at night.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t grumble on every little detail, come follow me quickly!¡± ¡°He¡­?! H-Hey! Don¡¯t pull on my hair!!!¡± Lowe, the adventurer, scrunched his face in pain as his hair was grabbed and pulled forcibly, stomping his foot on the ground. ¡°Hey, that Julius kid, was it? We¡¯re leaving him to you, okay?¡± The other three adventurers, who had been watching the series of exchanges between the two, let out a deep sigh, and rushed at the dumbfounded Sofia. The three of them, who were walking up with leisurely steps, were making their case to the stunned Sofia who was wondering what was going on. An empty, screeching metallic sound continued to cut through the silence of the night from nowhere. The sound of leaves occasionally rustling in the wind was not a concern of theirs, but it continued to echo uninterrupted, as if it was just a part of nature. ¡°¡­He got this deep in the forest this late at night¡­¡± One of the adventurers, a thin man with long, lop-sided eyes, begins to mumble his words with a mixture of dismay. The sound of metal striking against metal constantly roared through the night forest. Other sounds besides that ceased to exist at that very moment. Hit by hit, one after another, the sound of endless striking continued unceasingly. ¡°I really wonder what¡ª¡± Supposing this was the sound of a clash of opponents killing each other¡­ I wondered how intense the struggle was between the perpetrators of this sound against one another. At the very least, it was not difficult to imagine that neither of them was an ordinary person. ¡°What an annoying monster you are!¡± With a look of resignation on his face, the boy spat out these words without any pretense of hiding his exasperation. ¡ª¡ª ¡ª¡ª Chapter 11 Star-Slaying Swordsman Chapter 11 With the moonlight pouring down from above, the night sky shone brightly, thinly illuminating the place. The scenery it reflected was an unrealistic one. It was a gray landscape that had been gruesomely gutted and torn to bits and ashes until there was no trace of its surface left. A gust of wind blew¡­ An unnatural wind, as if it had been generated by someone else, blew toward the two adventurers who were running to the source of it¡ª Lilea and Lowe. ¡°¡­Hey, hey, hey¡­ come on now.¡± A world of darkness with only a little light to rely on. Lowe¡¯s voice was trembling as he saw what was going on. His eyes were peeled back in disbelief. ¡°Just as I expected.¡± What existed in the reflected world was a mass of flesh, in addition to blood that would make anyone who saw it gawk. The smell of iron rust blended in there, creating a uniquely sinister spectacle. ¡°What kind of sick joke is this¡­?¡± As Lowe uttered such words unintentionally, he saw a boy who looked like a ghost, with his right arm hanging limp and powerless, and another being who looked like a monster. One of them was an ogre that had lost one arm. Perhaps because they were only eyeing each other, they did not even once make a pretense of turning their attention to Lowe or Lilea, who had joined the scene. Only the sound of breathing and the aftermath of their sword blows echoed through the air. There was neither the energy to howl nor the space to talk lightheartedly. They understood this more than anyone else. Their hostility, squeezed to the limit, permeated the area. The pressure was relentless to the point that the hairs on one¡¯s back began to stand on end but¡­ ¡°¡­¡­¡± In contrast to Lowe¡¯s blinding stare, Lilea remained eerily quiet. Normally, this would have been considered uncanny, but Lowe understood this nature of Lilea better than anyone else, and hence, he was convinced. Lilea was a seeker of the way of the sword. She loved the sword to the point of idiocy¡­ No, you could say she was crazy about swords. She was probably trying to burn the scene in front of her eyes deep into her memory. There was certainly no way for her to devote her energy to talking. The way her mouth was stuck in a straight line seemed to indicate just that. And while Lowe was having such thoughts, it echoed once more. The sound of furious swords striking each other¡­ began to roar again. * * * * * * * * Time went back a little. (¡°Time is definitely broken¡­¡±) I stared at my right arm, which was hanging down helplessly. My face twisted in anguish, and I grumbled in my chest in spite. ¡­Shooting Star. A special killing blow polished only to slash through all things, the power produced by this strike could be estimated to be delivered in only a split-second gap. All that with a mere piece of stick. ¡°Gah¡­!¡± The ogre¡¯s right arm was cut in two. A section of it still peeked out. He grunted in rage and spat out blood. The load from the ¡°Shooting Star¡± had caused my muscles to tear everywhere, especially my broken right arm, which had been the most heavily burdened. I had originally intended to make my first blow the finishing one. But nevertheless, the ogre, probably using its natural instincts, turned its head away just before it touched his neck. Because of that, I swung at him in an exaggerated manner, slashing only his right arm¡ª cutting it in two. I could still move my left arm and both legs. Albeit painful, I was able to cut off the ogre¡¯s right arm in exchange for a reasonable burden on mine. Anyone other than me would have hailed it as a huge milestone¡­ but a killing blow, executed with no regard for the physical burden, was ultimately evaded. All the more reason why I couldn¡¯t help but frown. ¡°But¡­ if it ended like that, it would be a bit of a letdown. That would be such an easy wall to overcome. Yeah¡­ It has to be like this.¡± My frown soon turned into a smile, telling those words to myself while desperately suppressing the desire to writhe in pain. I forced myself to act stoutly, as if nothing had happened, and shouted vigorously. ¡°IT¡¯S GOT TO BE THIS MUCH IF I WANT TO BE STRONGER, HUH?!¡± If I went on the defensive, I was pretty sure I wouldn¡¯t be able to beat the ogre. The difference in power was obvious. Furthermore, my injuries doubled due to the ¡°Shooting Star¡± technique that I¡¯d used. The moment that I received a blow from his huge frame¡­ would be the moment my defeat is decided. Therefore, I had no choice but to keep on the offensive. I had to find a way of winning by relentlessly attacking without any pause. And so, I kicked at the earth, scattering dirt behind me as I threw myself toward the ogre. Swinging with the power of my wrist alone wouldn¡¯t even inflict a scratch against him. I had to use my body, my whole body, to the fullest in order to strike a decisive blow, so I twisted my body as if I was bending a spring that had been stretched to the limit. ¡°RRAAAAAAAAAGH!!!¡± I swang the stick as if I were making a backhanded fist. Judging me to be a dangerous person, the ogre held his position. Then sparks scattering with the sound of a metallic clang followed suit. The stick¡¯s cut overlapped with the rusted iron sword that it hurled down, and unable to bear the load of the force applied to it, it crumpled up. However, a trace of the stick still remained. It could still be used. As soon as I realized that my attempted blow was blocked, I immediately reversed my grip and attempted to stab him in the head with my stick, but¡­ ¡°Ah¡ª Ggh¡­?!¡± The ogre threw a kick, and I took it all. A sharp leg blow to the abdomen. I didn¡¯t notice it until after my ribs were already screaming. There was no way to avoid it. The damage was immeasurable, perhaps because I had no proper defense. *** *** But I was not so naive as to allow that for free. I held the crumpled stick in my hand, one that became sharply pointed due to its distortion. ¡°¡­Fly away¡ª!!!¡± I quickly drew back my left hand and threw it as hard as I could. ¡°Gghaa¡­h!¡± Spewing blood and vomit, he was launched vigorously and slammed into one of the many tree trunks that were growing behind him, to which the ground responded with a big rumbling noise. (¡°I¡¯m still conscious, but¡­¡±) There was no time to even speak. If I relaxed even for a moment, I would have lost consciousness immediately. But if I let go of my consciousness, everything would be over¡­ Then, maybe¡ª! I crashed into a tree trunk and fell flat on the ground. I clenched my teeth and tried to stand up somehow by thrusting my fingertips into the earth. I tried to force myself to hold on to my consciousness even though it caused me pain, and perhaps as a result, I slowly felt a sensation in my mouth. The sensation of blood dripping from the edge of my mouth. My right hand was immobile, and my body was as heavy as lead. It was as if it wasn¡¯t my own body. But still, I lifted my gaze from the ground. ¡°¡ª!!!¡± My stick was still stuck in him, and yet, a shadow loomed. What I first saw was the ogre closing in to finish me off. There was no time to spare. The more I stayed on my feet, the more the Reaper¡¯s scythe scathed my neck. My skin was already in contact with the scythe, and I was in such a predicament. ¡°¡­This is¡­ bad!¡± Leave the pain. There was no time to worry about it. If I let the pain stop me, the only thing that awaited me was death. ¡­is what I said to myself, and threw my body out to the side. Crash! A small cloud of smoke rose from the ground as a large sword struck the spot where I had been lying down just before. I managed to avoid it once, but I didn¡¯t think there¡¯d be a second time. I knew in my head that I had to avoid the follow-up attack that would come, but my body would not move. A pain had seeped into my body. In addition to the leg blow earlier, there was the impact of the collision. The pain had paralyzed my body. Yeah, I figured it out. I was sure it was just a foolish act of determination, so there wouldn¡¯t really be a second time. ¡°This is¡­ the end.¡± There came my faltering words. A large sword stuck in the ground rose to the surface and was swung to the side. Engulfed by the roaring wind of the sword, it caught me without missing its aim. A rusted great sword appeared in front of my eyes. Just before the sword sliced through me, somehow, the time inside me stopped, and I had to make sure that I would be able to catch my breath. The speed of his attack, which must have been wielded with that single-mindedness, was the fastest in all of this battle. What was I missing? As I gazed at the approaching blade, I was struck by such a running sensation, and I was lost in thought. I lacked the skill, the experience, the strength. I began to ask myself these questions, but for some reason¡­ I was not satisfied. What was the reason? Well, without anyone pointing it out to me, it was obvious. My gaze had been fixed on the stick that was stuck in the ogre all along. If I could, I would have liked to face him with a sword. Such a thought was set at the base of my mind. I lacked everything, but that was not a big problem. The most important thing to remember is that I can¡¯t just have a sword and use it to fight. What more could I be missing? But that was inevitable. The sword that I was desiring was nowhere to be found, I thought to myself. I heard myself making excuses and complaining about it. Because the sword was nowhere to be found? Then I had to compensate from somewhere to make up for what was missing. Was that still no good? Then¡­ Why don¡¯t you try and create it? What¡¯s your magic for? I heard a voice. Create it using magic, he said. It was a bolt out of the blue. Everyone was capable of magic. However, most people were unaware of their talent and ended their lives under the mistaken impression that they were incapable of handling magic. Most people did not have the right opportunity. And the opportunity to be able to use magic¡­ I thought I didn¡¯t have it. I had assumed that I didn¡¯t have the gift of magic, but there was a voice that I didn¡¯t remember telling me to create it. I had no evidence, no proof, no anything¡ª just a voice. This may be the opportunity that I was looking for. (¡°Ha, ha, ha¡­¡±) A dry laugh broke out. It wasn¡¯t a question of whether I could do it or not. If I couldn¡¯t do it here, I would die, and that was just it. There was no choice for me. If that was the case¡­ (¡°I¡¯ll¡­ create it¡­¡±) I was winning in technique, but it was myself who was losing. It was already decided. Time began to move slowly, and my left hand barely moved. It should have been empty, but for some reason, it was glowing. Particles gathered and overlapped to form a shape, something slender and sharp. And I remembered what I was looking for¡­ A sword. A simple sword that specialized only in cutting through. Yes, just like¡ª ¡°Ha- Hahaha¡­¡± A clang of metal against metal struck my eardrums, spilling sparks into the chattering, trembling atmosphere. The force of the blow pushed me backward, but I was able to block it with a broadside swipe. I smiled at my relief and at the sword, which felt good in my hand, even though it was the first time I had held it. Just the thing that I was looking for. A sword just like the one I now held in my hand¡ª a sword with a silvery-white blade that reflected the moonlight. ¡ª¡ª ¡ª¡ª Chapter 12 Star-Slaying Swordsman Chapter 12 ¡°I was really¡­ able to make it, huh¡­¡± Glancing at the bare sword resting in my hand, I couldn¡¯t hide my astonishment at what I had done. However, nothing much had changed in my predicament. Just having a sword in my hand wouldn¡¯t mean that I could overcome this situation. After all, it only made a difference in the last few seconds of my life span. Although the ogre itself may have been intrigued, it didn¡¯t seem to be surprised enough to stop moving. I found myself being pushed back as he began to close in again. My whole body was enveloped in an indescribable, dull pain. I could hardly stand up¡­ Even swinging my sword to deflect his attacks caused me pain. But what of it? The pain was so severe that it blurred my vision. But¡­ what did it matter? That was what I kept telling myself, knowing that this wasn¡¯t enough for me to give up persevering. Was my survival something that had to be prioritized even if it meant abandoning my dream of becoming a ¡°Star Slayer?¡± Was my dream such a meager thing for me? No. Stand up. Move. Even though I commanded my twitching limbs to do so, they did not respond very well. The ogre was right in front of me. I was sure that he chose to deliver a straight strike from his sword because I was unarmed earlier, and I was sure that it would not happen again this time. ¡°Ha¡ª!¡± My thoughts were constantly occupied and filled with pain. I tried biting my lip hard and gritting my teeth, but it didn¡¯t make my situation any better. The same for trying to gasp for air and straining my stomach, which not surprisingly, didn¡¯t do anything as well. But still¡­ I couldn¡¯t give up. I had to grab hold of ¡°life¡± no matter how badly I struggled. All of it for the sake of¡­ becoming a ¡°Star Slayer.¡± ¡°I want to prove to the world that I¡¯m the strongest.¡± Those were his words. The words of a swordsman who longed to become a ¡°Star Slayer.¡± ¡°I want to prove that my sword is the strongest.¡± That was a piece of memory of him that I had. A piece of memory that I once experienced and remembered. The foundation of that swordsman, which I had made my guiding principle. Why did I want to prove it, or so a certain man at a certain place asked me a question. ¡°It¡¯s because there was someone who wished to tell me that my sword was the strongest¡­ Because there was someone who believed that¡­ my sword was the strongest¡­¡± I replied without a hint of hesitation. The words were a bit¡­ just a little bit¡­ desolate. To the extent where I wasn¡¯t sure even people I¡¯d known for a long time would have noticed it. ¡°Hey¡­ do you know? That there¡¯s a myth that people turn into stars after they die?¡± They say that when we die, we become stars. The man replied, and of course, he had also heard of it. He believed in it, saying that there are an infinite amount of stars in the sky. ¡°I think so too.¡± I looked up at the sky. It was just at the time when the sun was setting and the stars were becoming dimly visible. ¡°¡­What is the thing that they recognize when looking for the strongest? What is the strongest that even those who have died recognize? What must one do to become the strongest that everyone recognizes?¡± *** *** And so the words went on. The swordsman, who never let go of his focus on the stars in the sky, spoke with a bit of self-deprecation. ¡°When I thought about it, I came up with an answer.¡± That¡¯s what you call ¡°Star Slaying?¡± The man replied with words of dismay. ¡°Yeah. In order to prove that my sword is the strongest, it was more favorable for me to proclaim that I want to be a ¡°Star Slayer.¡± Heh. So you wanted to tell your sword that you want to become a star, huh? ¡­But I don¡¯t get it. Why were you so obsessed with the strongest? You didn¡¯t have to be strong to do so¡ª The statements that followed were not the words I was searching for. The swordsman forcibly interrupted with his voice. ¡°I must become the strongest that everyone recognizes. If I could slay the stars, everyone would agree that I am the strongest. Even the heroes of the past who died and may have become stars would agree that I am indeed the strongest¡­! To those who have become a star, I want to prove to them that what I believed in was right¡­ And slaying the stars is the only way to prove it.¡± Slaying the stars, huh? The stars wouldn¡¯t be happy to be cut down just for the sake of it. And so the man lowered his shoulders in dismay and made a light remark. ¡°No matter what anyone says, I will never change my mind. I will slay the stars and prove that I¡¯m the strongest of them all. That is the only way I could give back to them.¡± What a stubborn guy¡­ That¡¯s why they gave you such a funny nickname. ¡°I don¡¯t mind. I like that nickname.¡± I see. Well, I guess it¡¯s perfect for you. I¡¯d give it a break if I were you, but¡­ I think you can do it. Even I recognize and approve of your swordsmanship after all, so I¡¯m sure you can do it. ¡­If you want to be called the ¡°Star Slayer,¡± that is. ¡°Fuhaa-¡± My consciousness is pulled back to reality. Yeah. I have to be a ¡°Star Slayer¡± whatever it takes. I must do it, even if it means getting my limbs ripped off. The reason I admired him was that he was cool. The way of life of the swordsman touched my heartstrings. I wanted to live like him. At the same time, I wanted to prove to him that his swordsmanship, which he had continued to study, could reach the stars. If he, that swordsman, were in his best condition¡­ he would have been able to reach them. That¡¯s why¡­ I¡¯d prove it in his stead. Being the man I admired so much, I would do it for him. I would return the favor for giving me this admiration. ¡°Fuha¡ª AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!¡± I was sure that if I were to tell anyone about my desire to become a ¡°Star Slayer,¡± they would not understand it. Even if I went to such lengths to tell them the reason why, they would probably be appalled that I hadn¡¯t gotten over my fanciful dreams. They would laugh at me for dreaming too much. They thought that my life would be over without being able to do anything. It was true that such a person deserved to be laughed at, so I laughed at myself. ¡°I really can¡¯t give up after all! There¡¯s no way I¡¯d end up in a place like this¡­ It can¡¯t end like this!!!¡± I would not cry until I¡¯d lost everything. I decided to do so and focused on the sensation in my left hand, which was now holding the sword. Already messing up with my thoughts, I pushed the pain to the back of my mind. I looked at the ogre and only focused on slicing through him. The bone in my leg creaked, but I brushed it away and forced myself to stand up. ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ fight you¡­! I¡¯ll fight you until the moment my limbs are torn to shreds! I won¡¯t let it end like this¡­ I¡¯m definitely going to be a ¡®Star Slayer!!!¡¯¡± In my memory, there existed a way of fighting that was tailor-made for my current situation, a way to deal with an opponent who was clearly beyond physically outmatched, that is. ¡°¡ª!!!¡± ¡°AAAAHHHH!!! I will put my heart and soul into defeating you, so¡ª!!!¡± Moments after that, a deafening, high-pitched metallic sound reverberated through the area. It was indeed the sound of metal striking against metal; the sound itself wasn¡¯t linear, but it sounded as if it was being swept away. ¡°That is why¡­ we won¡¯t stop until one of us is on the ground, OGREEE!!!¡± Feeling the sensation of my left hand being eaten away, I screamed loudly to get it out of my throat. The sword strikes that were coming at me were from his huge physique. I swung my sword at it, parrying all his blows. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll make you¡­ my food, my nutrition¡­ and be a Star Slayer¡­!!!¡± A shallow, flesh-slicing strike. It was a blow that could never be fatal, yet it was unmistakably a strike that served as a catalyst for a counterattack. ¡ª¡ª ¡ª¡ª Chapter 13 Star-Slaying Swordsman Chapter 13 It was burning. My blood welled so badly that I felt as if my whole entirety was burning. My emotions, my soul, my everything at this moment. The longing, the thirst, and my fighting spirit¡ª all on fire. ¡°¡­Haha.¡± What distress I was in. My whole body was screaming, and if there were a limit, it would definitely have passed long ago. All the danger signals were clearly lit. I steadied my feet, disregarding the danger of the crisis I was in right now. I was standing on this ground. Why was that? Why was I standing here? That was a given. I already knew the answer to that question, I was more aware of it than anyone else. I was afraid to no end¡­ The sole feeling of ¡°fear¡± enveloped me. I was afraid that I wouldn¡¯t be able to achieve what I¡¯d set my heart on, to let go of the longing I had. I couldn¡¯t not ignore all of the life-threatening cries that were going in and out of my brain even if I wanted to, and what I was more afraid of was dying without being able to become a ¡°Star Slayer.¡± ¡°How¡­ unbearable.¡± I spent my days constantly swinging a stick, hoping to be a ¡°Star Slayer.¡± I would slay them someday. But the repetitive act that I was doing towards a vague desire had somehow led to a small doubt that even I, myself, was unaware of. To put it simply, it was far away. My dream of being a ¡°Star Slayer¡± was just so far away. So far away from where I was standing now, that I was doubting if I will ever be able to reach it myself. The way to do so didn¡¯t exist. There wasn¡¯t any room for improvement for me to do so. That¡¯s why it was unbearable. I encountered a wall, one that someone like me could overcome. That, more than anything, was more unbearable than anything else. ¡°¡­¡­¡± He stares at me skeptically. The ogre reflected in my eyes is a fighting maniac who sees the value of life in a fleeting glimpse of death, so he must have instinctively understood that our natures are completely different. Despite that, I still laugh at him. I was laughing as if I was having a good time, hence probably the reason why he finds me skeptical. ¡°It¡¯s simple. I¡¯m laughing because I¡¯m having fun, so why are you wondering about something so obvious? Huh? HUUUH?!¡± The exuberance took over, and I shouted as I pleased. And in the meanwhile, the fierce battle continued. And my eyes, narrowed like those of a cat¡¯s, caught every strike from the ogre, sparks flying everywhere as I parried them all. ¡°¡­Kgh¡ª Hahaha¡­¡± The ogre¡¯s mouth twisted into a smile and let out a giggle. His face was painted with glee, hardly seeming to feel any pain, despite the fact that one of his eyes had been crushed and his right arm had been cut off. He kept swinging, swinging, swinging his sword. Our swords struck each other, slashing the atmosphere to shreds in all directions. I was fighting for my life. Despite the fact that we were killing each other, we were both laughing as if were fun and unbearable. ¡°I¡¯m really glad it was you. If it weren¡¯t for you, I wouldn¡¯t be here right now!¡± I¡¯d grown because I met you, Ogre. I would gladly shout out and say that I was able to grow because of you. I was sure that if it weren¡¯t for this hardship, I wouldn¡¯t have a sword in my hand. It was you who gave me the chance. So I will shout it out, and thank you. I will thank you¡ª and swing my sword in gratitude. That would be the greatest return I could give you. ¡°In order to be a ¡®Star Slayer,¡¯ I must always keep challenging the walls that stand before me! And it was you, out of all others, who made me realize that!¡± From the very day I saw that dream, I longed to be a swordsman. I had a thirst that no one could understand, and I continued to train in a foolish way. But it wasn¡¯t good enough. That level of training wasn¡¯t good enough. I lacked everything, nothing I had sufficed. But there was one thing that I needed, and that was to keep pushing myself. All I had to do was to break the wall down and exceed my own limits¡­ and reach what I would normally have never reached. ¡­I wanted to prove that I was the strongest. It was a word that seemed extremely cliched, but it was the heaviest thing that was weighing on my mind. A word that had never been easy to achieve. ¡°That¡¯s why¡ª!!!¡± I had already acknowledged it. From the moment I saw him, my instincts had recognized it. The ogre in front of me was superior. A much higher being than me. ¡°That¡¯s why¡­ I¡¯m going to surpass you and move on!¡± *** *** I put my heart and soul into the wall that I had to overcome and distanced myself from the ogre. We¡¯d already crossed swords with each other dozens of times. And no matter how stout I acted, no matter how much I tried to look good, the end was near at hand. Both of us had long passed our limits. But yet, we stubbornly continued to wield our swords. ¡°H- Haaah¡ª¡± I inhaled the chilling air as much as I could and took it into my lungs. Then, I bent down and stared with my eyes, which had been getting used to the dark night, bloodshot, and exerted all my strength. Sweat gushed out of me. Knowing that there wouldn¡¯t be a next time, I stood with only my willpower. This would really be the last time. No matter whether I cried or laughed, this would be it. ¡°CUT¡ª THROUGH!!!¡± A desire, a longing, and a hope. With all of my thoughts and emotions, I began to close in again. My right arm was still dangling down, therefore, my left arm was the only one I could rely on. I took one step. And the more steps I took, the more I felt as if my life was being drained away, so I pressed down hard on the ground. I was under the impression that I was hearing something get ripped off. I put all my strength into my left arm, even though I knew I wasn¡¯t hallucinating about it. And so our swords crossed once again. My plan was to take his strike and deliver a sure-kill counterattack¡­ But¡ª ¡°Ah- Ggh¡­!!¡± After a moment, I heard a shrill scream. It echoed so clearly in my brain that I could not even disguise it as my imagination, and I immediately understood the cause. And that was not only my right arm, but also my left, which was holding the sword, had been broken. I still somehow managed to get a grip on the sword, but that momentary gap was too fatal at this moment. It was probably because I was unable to properly channel the power that was being directed at me and put into the ogre¡¯s great sword. At the same time, with a snap, the sword in my hand cracked open, and soon after, the blade broke in two. A part of it was thrown into the air. And the ogre¡¯s emotion when he saw it¡­ was joy. The victor emerged clearly, smiling triumphantly. My body was full of wounds, and I had lost my only means to protect and fight for myself. There was only one way left for me to evade his impending sword strike. ¡ª And that was to dodge it. Pull back, leap, and then run. Fortunately, my limbs were moving faster than my brain was prompting my body to do so. My body was moving in an effort to retreat from the spot. But¡­ ¡°Thish wash¡­ fun.¡± He was convinced. No matter how much I struggled to avoid it, he knew that his sweeping attack couldn¡¯t be avoided. Thus, he let out a roar as if it was the last time. ¡°¡ªKgh¡­!!¡± I desperately attempted to overcome this predicament with my body, which had been overworked until it was exhausted and battered. But even so, time was running out. Then¡ª a red splash appeared in front of my eyes. The blood spurted out from my body in an exaggerated manner. My consciousness was fading away, and so was my body, and my unsteady vision. The sight in front of me made me realize that I had been cut down. And the sight of my enemy, the ogre, who seemed to have lost interest in me, turned his back on me. Oh, no¡­ Don¡¯t go, I can¡¯t have that. I was still going to cut you down and slay you. So I won¡¯t let you walk away from me. I can still fight. I should be able to, that¡¯s why. I just kept on repeating these words in my fading consciousness. Move. This couldn¡¯t end here. I had to cut him down. So move¡­ Move. I didn¡¯t care what came afterward, so¡­ ¡­Just¡­ move. Thump. Before I knew it, I found myself making a sound by stomping down on the dirt. And the ogre, who must have turned around to see what was happening, stood wide-eyed in astonishment. It was as if reality was lying to him. He was startled as if he had seen a ghost. (¡°It didn¡¯t reach my internal organs¡­¡±) Perhaps it was fortunate that I jumped back as quickly as I did, and the earlier strike did not reach my organs. I confirmed this and breathed a sigh of relief. Pain. Pain was taking over my whole body, and I could hardly hear the voice of my body writhing in agony anymore. (¡°I can reach him¡­ from here.¡±) The distance was about 5 meters. I was sure that my sword would be able to reach him from here, or so it seemed to me. ¡°I won¡¯t let you go away this time.¡± I told him in a voice that had lost its spirits. In my left hand was a newly created sword, and I slowly raised it. I could only use it once more. I thought I could only use it once, but for some reason, I felt as if I could use it again this time. So I exhaled, not even looking at the broken sword as the particles gathered and formed the shape of a sword again. ¡°¡ª!!!¡± The ogre hurriedly held up his greatsword. But such a thing wouldn¡¯t be of any use at this moment. Why? It wasn¡¯t a surprise. ¡°The fact that you didn¡¯t even try to ensure finishing me off at the last moment is your defeat.¡± The blow that I was about to deliver is a ¡°Star Slaying¡± technique, one that I mimicked from the swordsman in my dream. Half-hearted attempts at defense would be blown away as helplessly as ashes in the wind. Take it. Take this blow. Not as a stick-swinger with a stick-like piece of crap. But as a swordsman, with a proper sword in my hand, I¡¯d unleash this technique. I wouldn¡¯t be needing to do this technique on you the next time. This was the end, and I released it without thinking. I used both my arms and legs, unleashing it all, even though my entirety was broken. With all my might, I deliver you my ¡°Star Slaying¡± blow¡­! ¡°CUT THROUGH¡ª¡± It was an out-of-the-ordinary technique that slashed off a log-like arm with a mere stick. It was the only ¡°Star Slaying¡± technique that struck fear into the ogre¡¯s instincts. I would deliver this very blow to the stars. ¡°¡ªSHOOTING STAR¡ª!!!!!!¡± ¡ª¡ª ¡ª¡ª Chapter 14 Star-Slaying Swordsman Chapter 14 Creak¡ª I dropped the sword that I had just finished wielding, hearing the sound of something being definitely¡­ broken. My left arm hung slackly, as if to imitate my right arm. The sound of a sword that fell to the ground followed suit. ¡°Ha- Hahaha¡­ Hahahaha¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t even muster the energy to shout. I stood with my feet on the ground. The fact that I was able to maintain myself in this state was a miracle in itself. ¡°I¡­ won. I really¡­ won¡­¡± I was so exhausted that I felt like letting go of my consciousness while standing still. I ruminated over it again and again, as I repeated the same words incessantly, intoxicated by my victory. I imprinted it on my mind. I had won, and that was a fact. ¡°Haa¡ª Ahhhhh¡­¡± Looking up at the sky covered with darkness, I felt the tension, anxiety, pressure, and elation along with the air I had stored up. I let it all out. Right next to me, there laid the corpse of the ogre, whose torso was cut into pieces. In addition to that, an unending line was carved deeply and distinctly into the earth. ¡­Shooting Star I could only laugh at that technique, even though I was the one who unleashed it. Its power was that shocking. What was left behind was a crack that stretched in a straight line, so straight that one might have wondered if the earth had been split open. But despite its power, this Shooting Star was probably less than 20% as complete as the one released by the ¡°Star Slayer¡± swordsman in my dream. My inferiority was as bad as it could get. But even such inferiority had boasted such tremendous power and shattered the wall that stood in its way. I reaffirmed in my heart why I was a life-long admirer of that swordsman. ¡°At last.¡± As if savoring each and every word, I let it out of my mouth. ¡°At last, I felt as if I really had made a step forward.¡± I was sure that I wouldn¡¯t have been able to feel this emotion if I had just been waving a stick around selflessly. ¡°I¡¯m truly grateful¡ª ogre. Thank you for being my sustenance. If it wasn¡¯t for you, I wouldn¡¯t be able to take a step forward.¡± Words were no longer necessary. So I spun around on my heel and turned my back to my rival, the ogre, who was still smiling at me. ¡°The subjugation rate for an ogre ranks at a B, but this one, who can speak, is a mutant, so he¡¯d be one rank higher among other ogres. Probably a B+, I wouldn¡¯t even argue if he got rated as an A.¡± Then abruptly, I heard a thick voice of a man that shook my eardrums. I urged my battered and exhausted body to return to the village, and as I turned on my heel, I saw two figures appearing before my eyes. I had felt the presence of people during the battle earlier, so I immediately understood that it had to be them. As soon as the battle was over, the duo appeared. And as to who they were, I already knew the answer. *** *** ¡°Let me ask a question. Just who the hell are you?¡± I guess I wasn¡¯t too flustered about all this, that was probably why he asked me with such pressing, murderous intent, as though he¡¯d cut me down depending on my answer. And I figured that the reason he asked me such a question was because of his perception of me being ¡°abnormal.¡± Human beings tended to be different from others, so in other words, people were relentlessly seeking reasons for being unique, being ¡°abnormal.¡± The swordsman I saw in my dream was no different and was perceived the same way too. Most of what he said and did was always considered beyond comprehension. And for that reason, I laughed. I made the best laugh I could with the carefree look I had on my face. ¡°¡­¡± The man in front of me raised his eyebrows dubiously. I was certain that was because he didn¡¯t know why I did so. I was perceived as ¡°abnormal¡± just like the ¡°Sword Demon¡± whom I admired, an amazing individual who devoted his life to ¡°Slaying the Stars¡± all his life. If he were ordinary, he would definitely not be able to slay the stars, and he was more aware of that fact than anyone else. Therefore, I couldn¡¯t help but be happy. I was considered to be an abnormal being, just like him, who had deviated from the norm. This fact brought me more joy than ever. I felt as if I had finally made it to the starting line to becoming a ¡°Star Slaying¡± swordsman. Even though I was aware of my distorted perception, my joy persisted. ¡°Ha- Ha¡­ Haha.¡± Each laugh opened a wound. Every time I shook, blood was lost from my own body. But¡­ If I didn¡¯t laugh now, when would I laugh? As one would expect, my voice had lost its spirit. But I still laughed and tried to be honest about my feelings, even if it meant making the people in front of me suspicious. I wanted to laugh just for this moment. ¡°Who¡­ am I? ¡­I¡¯m still the same person as I was that very day 4 years ago. I couldn¡¯t change anything, no matter how much everyone in the village laughed at me.¡± The question he asked was not my name by mistake. But my true identity. In other words, my real nature. ¡°I¡¯m a ¡®Star Slayer.¡¯ A swordsman who¡¯s longing to be a ¡®Star Slayer.¡¯¡± I already had a sword in my hand. An actual sword, not a piece of stick, and wielded it as a swordsman would do. That was why I called myself a swordsman. ¡°A¡­ ¡®Star¡­ Slayer,¡¯ you say?¡± ¡°Yeah, a ¡®Star Slayer.¡¯ As the name implies, it means to slay the stars. I want to slay the stars, and I want to prove to everyone that the sword of the person I admire is the strongest. So¡­ I¡¯ll Slay the Stars.¡± Perhaps it was because I was exhausted. I said all this much more quickly than I¡¯d normally do, as though I was about to give up my consciousness. Slowly, I moved forward. Step by step towards my home, the village. But the more I moved, the more pain attacked my whole body. The wounds widen further and blurred into a reddish blotch, especially the wound on my chest, which was cut in an exaggerated manner, attacking me relentlessly with a piercing pain. It was extremely difficult to see in the darkness, but one thing I could make out was that the clothes I was wearing were being coated with sticky blood. Everyone who saw it, without exception, peeled their eyes. I was so badly injured that it was a wonder that I, myself, was still standing, and the wounds that I had, kept on throbbing. ¡°Aahhh¡­¡± My vision blurred out. I was losing the feeling in my legs, and my world was shaking. I must have pushed myself too hard. Too much blood must have been lost, and my body was not as strong as I would have liked it to be. I was supposed to be walking, but I was worried if I was really walking forward. All of my thoughts weren¡¯t functioning properly. ¡°Tell Sofia that¡­ I¡¯m going to take a short break, so I¡¯m going home¡ª¡± They must be¡­ adventurers¡­ If they came to me, then it must mean that Sofia was safe and well, so I told them to relay a message for me. ¡­But my body was so heavy that even my mouth wasn¡¯t moving properly. My throat should¡¯ve been doing its job, but my voice wasn¡¯t coming out. ¡­Aahhh¡­ Let¡¯s take a little rest, then. I could go home right after I rest. If I rested a little, my body would surely recover. With such an unfounded wish, I put my hand on the trunk of a nearby tree. ¡°¡­Aahhh¡­ I¡¯m¡­ really tired¡­¡± I didn¡¯t even have the energy to tell them what I really wanted to say. I wished to tell those two adventurers to tell Sofia that I did well against the ogre, but I ended up telling them that I was tired and that I wanted to rest at home. ¡°I guess I really¡­ pushed myself too hard¡­¡± Leaning my body against the tree trunk, I slumped to the ground, unable to resist the pull of gravity. I let go of my consciousness and melted into the darkness, as if to escape from the prison of pain that covered my entire body. ¡ª¡ª ¡ª¡ª Chapter 15 Star-Slaying Swordsman Chapter 15 How many minutes, no, hours had passed since then? I rose from my consciousness, and slowly opened my heavy eyelids. Warm light shined down from the wood ceiling, and the scene reflected in my eyes was a familiar one¡ª my room. ¡­I remembered that I defeated the ogre, but the rest of my memory was completely missing. I racked my brain and wondered when I had returned to my house in the first place. And as I was asking myself such questions, a sharp pain shot throughout my body, making me want to moan as my senses kicked in. ¡°Ouch¡­¡± It was the pain that should¡¯ve been faded by the time that I was done confronting the ogre¡¯s tremendous power and adrenaline, so I tried to endure the pain, telling myself that this was the correct state to be in. But the pain was so terrible that I couldn¡¯t help but to scream out. ¡°¡­This is beyond painful¡­!¡± Both my arms and legs refused to move properly, even when I tried putting strength into them. No matter how hard I tried to raise my upper body, it only trembled to the extent that I felt as if it was convulsing. I felt the aftermath of my victory, and it was not very pleasant. It was really the feeling of winning a fight with all my might. ¡°Even with that said¡­ it was really close.¡± Me dying instead of the ogre wouldn¡¯t have been weird at all. I just simply got lucky. Even if we were to fight again, it wouldn¡¯t be a battle where I would be conceited enough to think that I could win. It was really just a last-ditch attempt to fight to the death. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ still lacking a lot of things.¡± And thanks to that battle, I found an immediate agenda to deal with. What I currently lacked¡ª what I needed to learn ¡ªbecame clear to me. ¡°¡­I need to overcome the walls that will come to me. I¡­ I need more experience. The present me is not enough, I¡¯m lacking everything.¡± I had to overcome the wall in the name of the strength that rose before me, even if it meant risking my life, as I did this time. I had learned clearly from this battle that I had to continue to fight and study superior opponents like that ogre. In addition to that, I needed to work on the number of times I could use the special technique, the ¡°Shooting Star.¡± Many problems turned out and were brought to light. I was simply not good enough. I think it was because I was forced to recognize it, whether I wanted to or not. Even though my body was exhausted, I wanted to train myself, even if it meant undoing the bandages wrapped around my arms and legs¡ª ¡°¡­Hm?¡± Ban¡­dages? I wondered. ¡°¡­Huh? Why are my arms and feet bandaged?¡± Not a single person in the village knew anything about treating people. No one had even prepared bandages of this magnitude in the first place. *** *** ¡°You¡¯re finally awake.¡± She said, with a clang of her armor. The knob to the door leading out of the room twisted, and a woman peeked out as if at the right moment. Soon after, she walked up to me. ¡°Well, being wounded by that degree, no wonder you¡¯ve been in a coma all week.¡± ¡°A-All week?¡± ¡°Yes. You¡¯ve been in bed all week, you know? You¡¯re just lying there, like a dead man, Hoshikiri-kun¡­¡± TL Note: Hoshikiri-kun (Romaji and direct translation of ¡®Star Slayer-kun,¡¯ which is also how it¡¯s phonetically pronounced.) That¡¯s when I finally remembered. Yes, I did know the woman who was talking to me right now. But rather than that, she called me by such a nickname. Perhaps it was because of my fading consciousness and my memory was being vague, but now I finally remembered. ¡°¡­You¡¯re the¡­ adventurer.¡± ¡°Correct. Also, take note that I¡¯m still rather upset about the fact that you lied to me with a straight face, so regards to that.¡± ¡­Now that I thought about it, I indeed did lie to her and went to get a piece of stick. It had completely slipped my mind until she pointed it out. ¡°But, I¡¯ll have you answer my question and call it even. And I¡¯ll let you know that I¡¯m a very persistent person¡­ So if you refuse, look forward to what I might do to you.¡± And¡­ she threatened me. I didn¡¯t know what she might do to me if I did otherwise, so I gave her a positive reply and urged her to continue. ¡°I¡¯ll take your word for it then, Hoshikiri-kun. Just¡ª what in the world¡­ are you?¡± ¡°¡­Huh?¡± And so the question came, but I had no idea what she meant. ¡°In actuality, that girl asked me¡ª I was really going to help and save you, but I couldn¡¯t. No¡­ I was fascinated by the sight of your swordsmanship. And I was forced to understand that I, an outsider, shouldn¡¯t be involved in that very battle. Yeah¡­ and that you¡¯re a ¡°sword-crazed¡± being¡­¡± That was what she wanted to ask me, she said. ¡°I mean no offense, but I just don¡¯t see how a being like you could possibly be born in such a village like this. That¡¯s why I have to ask you¡­ What in the world are you?¡± ¡­After having it elaborated to me that much, I finally came to an understanding. Though, it was a question that I had already answered. I¡¯m a ¡°Star Slayer.¡± Just a person who developed a longing for being one. No matter how much I tried to boil it down, it was neither more nor less than that. There was only one answer to that. ¡°I already know that you intend on being a ¡°Star Slayer,¡± but that didn¡¯t stop the astonishment that swirled inside me. I know it¡¯s not my place to ask you this, but frankly speaking, you would¡¯ve been dead if you made even one mistake.¡± ¡°¡­You¡¯re not wrong, and I¡¯m aware of that. But I can¡¯t reach my goal unless I do something like that. An ordinary person like me has to do that much to get there.¡± ¡°¡­That much, huh¡­ Most of the bones in your body were shattered and broken, and you¡¯re bleeding profusely. You¡¯re also carrying several wounds that could¡¯ve reached your internal organs in a few centimeters, and you say that¡¯s only ¡°that much.¡± Recognize it. You are broken.¡± She didn¡¯t say what was. Her mouth quietly relaxed, and she didn¡¯t say more. ¡°¡­But, I see. So that was the reason why, huh¡­¡± In her mind, she seemed to already get the answer, and for her, what I said was satisfactory enough. ¡°I thought you were like me, but you¡¯re not. I¡¯ve been through enough ordeals to know that you¡¯re so passionate about being a ¡°Star Slayer¡± that it makes what my sword is for look cute.¡± And the reason for my passion was not something that could be explained by logic. Perhaps she understood it and didn¡¯t question me further. ¡°I don¡¯t hate it, that kind of straightforward passion. Even if it¡¯s broken in some way that¡¯s fatal.¡± She concluded her words. And in the end, she never got the answer to what she wanted to hear from me. I was left wondering what on earth she wanted to hear from me. Through the door, which was halfway closed, I heard a new voice. ¡°Hey, Lilea. Are you almost done? I¡¯ve also got one thing to talk about with that brat too¡ª¡± A good-looking man peeked out at me as he made his remark. The other person whom I told of me being a ¡°Star Slayer.¡± However¡ª ¡°We¡¯re going back, Lowe.¡± ¡°HUH?!¡± ¡°You¡¯re just going to ask him to be an ¡®adventurer¡¯ anyway, weren¡¯t you? ¡­Don¡¯t bother. That boy isn¡¯t the kind that we can handle.¡± ¡°Hey, hey, hey. What do you me¡ª¡± ¡°Come on, stop grumbling about everything and move it.¡± The woman called ¡°Lilea¡± pulled the hair of the man called ¡°Lowe¡± roughly and forcibly left the room. And so they went. ¡°Ah¡ª I completely forgot to mention. We were the ones who treated you, by the way. But she¡¯s the one who¡¯s been taking care of you all this time, she¡¯s been worried sick about you.¡± I looked in the direction Lilea was pointing and saw Sofia leaning against the wall, dozing off. And with that, they really left my room this time. ¡ª¡ª ¡ª¡ª Chapter 16 Star-Slaying Swordsman Chapter 16 The sound of her breathing, her snoring, shook my eardrums constantly as I could do nothing but lie there. It hurt my neck to move it, but I still turned my gaze downward to the girl and stared at her. ¡°Hey¡ª Sofia.¡± I spoke to Sofia, who was dozing off as if nothing had happened. ¡°You¡¯re awake, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I said to my childhood friend, who was probably trying to mend the situation by pretending to sleep with such a condemning look in her eyes. And soon after, her apparently sleeping body, stiffened. Her eyes were still closed, but she stopped moving unnaturally, as if she had agreed with my words. ¡°¡­For how many years do you think we¡¯ve known each other?¡± Perhaps it was because I was born in a small village. Perhaps it was because we saw each other every day, almost as if we were family, that we were able to instantly see right through each other. ¡°¡­Well, I understand why you find it difficult to talk to me right now. But I¡¯ll tell you one thing, I¡¯m not going to hold any grudges against you, let alone be mad at you. I had all these wounds because of my own volition, so there¡¯s no need for you to feel guilty, Sofia.¡± I had no intention of turning my back on the wall, the ogre that stood before me, but there were plenty of times when I could have escaped if I wanted to. But I didn¡¯t. And in reality, I took the one option that could only be described as foolish, and that was to face my adversary with a stick in my hand. ¡°There¡¯s nothing for you to be worrying about.¡± I smiled stubbornly. I knew that Sofia blamed herself and thought that it was all her fault, but still, from my own point of view, these wounds I have were inexplicably favorable for me¡­ Of course, it wasn¡¯t like I enjoyed pain or any particular feelings like that¡ª it¡¯s just that these wounds were just right for what was to come. And I learned it after the ogre incident. I learned that in order to get to the bottom of the problem, I must treat ¡°pain¡± as a valuable experience, and keep it at the back of my mind. If I wanted to become a ¡°Star Slayer,¡± experiencing it was definitely the way to continue, and thanks to that ogre, I was able to realize that. All the wounds that I received were the result of my naive thinking. It may have been forced, but I did think that it wasn¡¯t wrong to say that I received such injuries by my own choice¡­ These are my¡­ true feelings. Not a single false emotion, but honest words. ¡°I¡¯m not trying to comfort you, because these are my true feelings. So there¡¯s really no need to get so worked up about this.¡± She stopped the dozing act, her body stiffened, and she tilted her head down. And just when I thought that she did so¡ª she started crying, silently. I was a little too emotionally unstable for my own good, but Lilea¡¯s words flashed across my mind. ¡ªYou could¡¯ve died if you made even one mistake. I chuckled as I realized that those words were the most obvious cause of the situation in front of me. ¡°It was a good, valuable experience for me. I sure may have risked my life, but I gained so much from it.¡± As far as I was concerned, that struggle was worth risking my life for, and I saw the value in that. But that was just me. My words, on the other hand, didn¡¯t reach Sofia, who probably believed that I almost died because of her, to the point where she couldn¡¯t help herself. She just kept dropping her feelings on the floor as if she was making polka dots¡­ And to tell the truth, I felt like crying out, wondering about what I should do for her. *** *** ¡°¡­Ha-ahh¡­¡± It was my fault to begin with. It was Sofia¡¯s decision to leave the village that was the cause in the first place. But the reason why I acted on it was definitely my own volition. So if we got to the bottom of everything, it all came down to my fault. So I couldn¡¯t just say I didn¡¯t care anymore because it¡¯s a bother, no. ¡°You¡¯re mistaken in the first place. Why did you think that I, a man who¡¯s planning to be a ¡°Star Slayer,¡± would die because of an ogre in a place like that?¡± I dared to be overconfident. I thought it would be just right to act in front of Sofia as if nothing had happened. ¡°I told you, right? I won¡¯t lose. You should at least believe the words of a childhood friend you¡¯ve known for a long time.¡± And so I told her not to create such a funeral-like atmosphere. I guess someone else must¡¯ve told her that I could¡¯ve died anytime or something, and I couldn¡¯t say anything about it, because I¡¯m sure that was definitely the case. However, it was completely normal to be down to the extent of whining about doing something you shouldn¡¯t have. Otherwise, she¡¯d never be able to take it anymore. ¡°B¡­ But¡­¡± When it seemed as if she finally opened her mouth, Sofia¡¯s trembling voice stopped only after a word. She couldn¡¯t think of the words to carry on. Or perhaps she was wondering if it was okay to say the words that were already in her head. There was no way for me to look into her inner thoughts. But what I was seeing in front of me is a helpless girl who was suffering this much, so: ¡°HEH¡ª!! This is how I live my life!! Stop killing me without my permission, you runaway girl!!¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m not a runaway girl!!¡± I screamed wildly, with my expression slightly distorted by the pain that consumed my body. I understood why she was grumbling about all this, and if I were to be in the opposite position, I might have been just like her. But being treated like this for so long was just so depressing, even for me. ¡°HUH?! You say that but you were ready to hide and camp there alone!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you ¡®HUH?!¡¯ me! Of course I¡¯d lose my temper too! That¡¯s also not what you say to someone who¡¯s been desperately hiding!!¡± ¡ªAnd so she proclaimed. Sofia, who had been leaning against the wall with a somber look on her face, stood up vigorously, as if to argue with all she got. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t mind you sulking, but let me tell you that I fought the ogre because of my own selfishness, so if you show me that kind of face, of course I¡¯d lose my temper, feel guilty, and go crazy.¡± She stiffened up again. I¡¯m sure it was because she realized that I was wrapped in bandages and was screaming the words around her, trying to look as strong as I could. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry, Julius¡­¡± Then she dropped her face again and apologized. I was in a difficult situation. So I decided to forcefully change the subject. There were about ten seconds of silence, and I started the conversation again. ¡°¡­You know, I¡¯m thinking of leaving this village after I recover from these wounds.¡± ¡°¡­Eh?¡± What do you mean? Or so her eyes widened, dumbfounded by the words she heard, ¡°I told you that I wasn¡¯t ready to leave, but I was wrong. It¡¯s not the training that I¡¯m missing, but the determination and experience to do so.¡± And so I declared. I think I¡¯m a rather indecisive person. I said before that I wouldn¡¯t leave this village, and now I would. But¡­ ¡°¡­I knew it. It¡¯s just as your father said.¡± Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew that Sofia¡¯s exclamation would come, but I ended up not hearing them. Instead, I heard words of resignation mixed with a sigh. The reason why she brought out my father to this conversation was completely beyond my comprehension. ¡°¡­My father?¡± ¡°Yes, your father. He said that once his idiot son wakes up, he¡¯d definitely say just that.¡± A line from my father, who was probably angrier than anyone else at my recklessness. How did he know I would want to leave the village? I didn¡¯t know. I couldn¡¯t help but hate to hear the words Sofia was trying to say. To the extent that it made me want to cover my ears, but because of my injuries, I wouldn¡¯t even be able to do so. ¡°¡­Hey, your father told me that when you say you want to leave the village¡ª¡± ¡ª¡ª ¡ª¡ª Chapter 17 Star-Slaying Swordsman Chapter 17 * * * * * ¡°Haaah¡ª¡± I sat weakly on a large rock, basking in the alluring moonlight. ¡°It¡¯s been¡­ two years, huh¡­¡± The time passed really fast, yet really slow. I gaze blankly at the sky with my hand on the shaft of my sword that I carry at my waist. The scene of two years ago recurred in my mind. I remembered the conversation that I had with Sofia as if were just yesterday, back when I fought with a mutant ogre and was wrapped in bandages while suffering severe wounds¡ª so severe that they took three whole months to heal. [¡­Hey, your father told me that when you say you want to leave the village¡ª] ¡°I guess I owe my father a lot.¡± [¡ªHe wants you to wait for two years, and drill you with all the possible necessary skills to live. After that, you can leave the village and do as you please. He said that even if you have the strength to defeat monsters, he can¡¯t send a naive child away¡­¡±] ¡°Three more days and it¡¯ll be exactly two years.¡± At first, I had no intention of waiting for two whole years. But I still did so that I could live on my own even if I were to be thrown out into the wild. I had to learn the absolute minimum necessary to live, and so I was given the minimum amount of education to at least follow what my father had said. ¡°I wonder what Sofia is doing now.¡± Three adventurers came to the village often after the ogre incident¡ª namely Lowe, Lilea, and Yoshua. And just a month ago, they stopped by at the village, simply having some business nearby, and were returning to the royal capital from the village, as far as I could remember. Sofia, though I had no idea what she was thinking, said that she would go to the capital ahead of me and left with them. So the last time I saw her was a month ago. I didn¡¯t know what she was thinking when she changed her mind at the last minute after my father asked her to wait for two years as I did, but I guessed she had her own reasons. I convinced myself to not think too much about it¡­ but I suddenly became curious. The reason being that I may be feeling a sense of loneliness about leaving the village where I had lived for so many years, and maybe it was because I was looking for a way to hide it. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be in the capital in three days, so I¡¯ll know about it anyway. There¡¯s no point in thinking about it now.¡± Saying those words, I turned my gaze upward and stepped down from the rock on which I was sitting. Night is the world of monsters. My father always told me to not go out at night, no matter how many monsters I could defeat. But today, for some reason, I felt like going outside to enjoy the night breeze. ¡°Guess I¡¯ll head back, huh?¡± Even if I were to get home late, I doubted they would be as worried about me now as they were two years ago. But they would still be worried, so I turned on my heel and decided that it was time to go back. And after several minutes of walking, the sight of the village, illuminated by the lights, came into view¡­ and so did Sofia¡¯s father¡ª Alec, the village chief ¡ªand my father, who were near the entrance, in addition to two more people that I didn¡¯t recognize. They were exchanging words, as if they were having an argument or something. It was justified by the grim expression that Alec had on his face, making it obvious that it was not a very good discussion. *** *** ¡°Father.¡± ¡°¡­Oh, Julius.¡± When I took a few dozen steps toward the bunch of people who were present at the time and called out to them, they looked at me all at once. The one who was arguing with my father and the others was a woman who had a drawn blade, and two men dressed as soldiers. ¡°Who are these people?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I asked my father, but for some reason, I heard no response. He just closed his mouth awkwardly. I wondered what in the hell was going on, and why they were looking at me with such a dubious face. It was not my father, but the woman facing him answered my question for me. ¡°Pardon for our late introduction. I am Viera Islebark, and these two are my companions.¡± She had a family name other than the one I knew from my father, and as how she introduced herself, she¡¯s probably a¡­ ¡°¡­So you are a noble, then¡­¡± She¡¯s a noblewoman. I wondered why Alec and my father didn¡¯t look at me in a good light as I used such informal honorifics they had taught me to use in the capital. I realized why they told me that I would have a lot of opportunities to use them. ¡°What could a noble person be doing in a remote village like this?¡± My father glared at me, telling me not to open my mouth any further, probably because their conversation had been somewhat heated until a few minutes ago. I would be leaving this village in three days anyway. My father told me that nobles are generally short-tempered, and if anyone in the village were to incur their wrath, it would be me. ¡°To put it simply, we are going around villages to draft people.¡± ¡°¡­Draft?¡± I couldn¡¯t believe my ears when I heard such an unfamiliar word. ¡°Strictly speaking, we are short of manpower. We need more men to defeat the monsters, so I¡¯m here to ¡®draft¡¯ people from here.¡± The voice that had been shaking my eardrums since a few minutes ago contained no emotion whatsoever, and I wondered if a doll was speaking in place of a person. I was struck by such a strange illusion. ¡°¡­So you are implying that there is a problem that cannot be handled by adventurers nor soldiers in the capital?¡± An addition of one or two village people wouldn¡¯t be enough to begin with. I didn¡¯t know what to say, except that it wouldn¡¯t help at all, and yet the woman in front of me said she was going around to villages and so on. ¡­What a strange thing, I thought. ¡°All that came as an order from the higher-ups, so I can¡¯t say more than that. However, this has already been decided, so I would like you to send at least one person from your village.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, all I have to do is head over there and this discussion is done.¡± ¡°We are asking for at least one person from this village to help us. Whoever it is, as long as he is a capable volunteer, there would be no problem. That¡¯s what the order is about.¡± ¡°Hey¡ª Julius! Don¡¯t go on talking without permission!¡± My father grabbed my hand and looked sternly at me to not say anything more than I could. ¡°¡­This is not something you want to get involved in.¡± After briefly glancing at the woman who called herself Viera, whose expression didn¡¯t change, my father continued his words. ¡°If the ¡®Warrior Princess¡¯ is involved, I can¡¯t send you away no matter what¡­¡± My father whispered to himself, his voice almost inaudible even to me, who was standing right beside him. ¡®Warrior Princess¡¯ is probably her name, that Viera Islebark. I¡¯ve been finding her atmosphere to be indescribably creepy, but her grand name made me feel a little more familiar with her. She was probably a good match for me, who had a name as big as being a ¡°Star Slayer.¡± Such an unimportant thought came to my mind unexpectedly. ¡°In any case, Julius, go home. Once again, We can¡¯t let you get involved with this.¡± And for some pressing reason, my father and Alec didn¡¯t want me to get involved with it. ¡ª¡ª ¡ª¡ª Chapter 18 Star-Slaying Swordsman Chapter 18 ¡°I knew this was going to happen, but I didn¡¯t expect that they¡¯d come while you¡¯re still in the village, and have taken it for granted. There¡¯s no way to hide it now, so I¡¯ll tell you¡­ You know, what you saw was¡­ harassment from the people of the royal capital.¡± I went home after getting told to, begrudgingly and reluctantly. My father finally came home and told me with a bitter expression on his face. ¡°¡­Harassment?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ It¡¯s either we send out people from our village or they¡¯d increase our taxes, which is a regular press they do to us.¡± Even though we live in such a remote village, we still paid taxes to the capital. I knew about this because I had opportunities to hear about it from the village chief, Alec, several times. ¡­I also knew that if we refused their request, we¡¯d be forced to pay more taxes. And from the way my father talked, if we even dared to resist¡­ we¡¯d definitely end up dead. Sending people out knowing they would die. Ah¡­ I understood. How nefarious of them. If that was what they intended on doing, this village would definitely break. And if that was the case, there was only one option available to us, which was to refuse their request and pay more taxes. Surely, there¡¯d be no better way to harass people than that. ¡°Listen carefully, Julius. No matter what happens, don¡¯t get involved with the Warrior Princess¡ª Viera Islebark. I heard that most of the knights who serve her die within a few months, and their replacements are already reassigned in that span of time. She¡¯s known as the ¡®Grim Reaper.¡¯¡± My father emphasized how high the death rate is, and that it was rumored that Viera Islebark was killing her allies. ¡°¡­You¡¯re rather well informed, father.¡± ¡°¡­That woman¡¯s bad name even reached such a remote village like this after all. If you understood what I just said, forget about today¡¯s matter and leave the village tomorrow. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any chance, but if she catches your eye, you¡¯ll end up in a very bad way.¡± Despite all those words exchanged, my father was certain that what he had in mind wouldn¡¯t happen at all¡­ and I somehow knew why. That woman, Viera Isebark, was probably a kind of person who was hopelessly disinterested in other people. From the first impression that I had of her¡ª I thought she was like a doll ¡ªperhaps I wasn¡¯t wrong. ¡°Just so I know, what would happen if I go with that Viera or whatever she¡¯s called?¡± A feeling of dismay was visibly plastered on his face, as if he was still thinking about such a thing after saying all the stuff that he said, and he looked at me accusingly. And a deep sigh came belatedly. ¡°There is a town called ¡°Minaura¡± southwest of this village. A town that is ravaged by monsters that appear regularly in the vicinity, and Viera Islebark is one of the people in charge of the task of defeating said monsters¡­ And with that being said, she will probably use you like a rag having you fight them.¡± To fight at least until all the monsters were suppressed. And that meant most of the people that¡¯d fight there wouldn¡¯t live to see the end of the defeat of those monsters¡­ or so my father said, so I suddenly wondered. If the majority of people died, then why is Viera Islebark safe and sound? It was hard to believe that this was the first time she had been to this village, judging from the way my father talked about it. In addition, it would have made sense if she had only been giving instructions in the shadows, but it was hard to believe that she would have done so, given her appearance, which could only be described as that of a swordsman from all accounts. ¡°Even if I¡¯m wrong, don¡¯t do something unnecessary, Julius. I don¡¯t want you to die, understand?¡± *** *** I knew. Hence the reason why my father told me to wait for two years. But, my greed¡­ It was getting in the way. I knew in my head that Sofia was waiting for me in the capital and that my father taught me things so that I wouldn¡¯t die. But the fever of ¡°Star Slaying¡± kept getting in the way of my attempts to make a rational decision. Be strong. Go beyond the walls that would rise before you. Break your limits. Those whispers sounded to my ears. I knew that it took experience and skills that were unthinkable for ordinary people to accomplish being a ¡°Star-Slayer.¡± And I learned firsthand two years ago that in order to gain even a fraction of what I was trying to achieve, I had to put my life on the line. Because otherwise¡­ I wouldn¡¯t be able to reach it. If I didn¡¯t take the appropriate risk and surrender myself to the effort of struggling and fighting through it, I¡¯d never be able to reach it. A voice that I wasn¡¯t familiar with kept whispering to my heart. A voice delivering such disgusting whispers with a definite persuasive power. And I was sure that this voice would not cease to whisper until I nodded my head and obeyed what it said. ¡°¡­Julius.¡± My father gritted his teeth firmly. The reason for it was that I didn¡¯t respond to him. He knew that two years ago, I was a daredevil who had to face an ogre without even a sword in hand, and that was why his expression was grimmer than ever. ¡­He didn¡¯t have to look at me like that. But I knew in my head, everything was just my own fault. I yearned and longed for it on my own. I set it as my ideal on my own. I was afraid that I might not be able to reach it. I was just being crushed by my own selfish longing of wanting to be a ¡°Star Slayer.¡± I was just being troubled by it. ¡°I¡­ know. I understand what you¡¯re saying, father.¡± At the time I had the ogre incident, I had a clear objective: To save Sofia. I could¡¯ve run away if I wanted to, but I had a reason to confront him But this time, I didn¡¯t have a reason. Just as I tried to force myself to accept it, something suddenly overtook everything. There were plenty of reasons, or so the devil whispered to me. As long as I went with them, the tax on my village wouldn¡¯t be increased at the very least. I could just head to the capital and dive into dungeons like anyone else. Oh man, would that make me happy. There was no doubt that everyday happiness would come. But then, ¡°Star-Slaying¡± would be just a dream, as an auditory hallucination coming from somewhere taunted me. Then I fully understood. The reason why I wanted to go with Viera without hesitation, despite the fact that Sofia was waiting for me. It was because I knew somewhere in my heart that I had to go. I thought it was because I wanted some kind of barrier¡­ a wall to overcome. The wall that would stand in my way must be higher and greater than me. That¡¯s what I learned from the battle I had with the ogre. ¡°I¡¯m really keeping that in mind, so don¡¯t worry.¡± I said those words with no conviction at all. But my mind was focused on what I had just said, not on my father¡­ And that was Viera Islebark, the ¡®Warrior Princess. The one who had the excuse to have our village in her hands. ¡ª¡ª ¡ª¡ª Chapter 19 Star-Slaying Swordsman Chapter 19 That night was very quiet. I had a dream. A brief dream of a ¡°Star Slayer,¡± a fluttering dream like a butterfly¡¯s. One man who appeared in my dream was roaring on top of a mountain. He roared on top of a mountain of bloodied, dead bodies. The ever-invincible ¡°***¡± was here, and everyone was horrified and cowered before him. Except for¡ª one person. At the time, he was known as ¡°***,¡± a man who was referred to as a peerless warrior and had no objection that he certainly was. A swing of his sword was enough to split the earth, and nothing but corpses laid on the ground as he turned his back. He left such a legend. A soldier in the guise of a swordsman stood up against this legendary warrior. The act of facing him wasn¡¯t considered an act of bravery¡­ but of savagery. However, the man did not back down even under such pressure and instead declared as if it were a matter of course¡ª ¡°If I can defeat you, I¡¯ll be able to move forward a little more.¡± There was only one thing that was different about the seemingly ordinary soldier. His way of being was far from ordinary, and bizarre to all intents and purposes. ¡°I want to make my name known throughout the world.¡± The place was filled with silence as he declared such a thing in front of a man called the ¡°peerless warrior.¡± But in the midst of all this, the soldier added a few words, as though to add fuel to the fire, and spoke of his dream as if it were fact. Soon after, the place was abuzz, and all the sneers and taunts were directed at the soldier man at once. But he didn¡¯t care, not one bit. It wasn¡¯t that he was cowering in fear because he was dealing with the peerless warrior, but it was precisely because he was against such a mighty individual that he was set on trying to devour his entirety. He asserted this by putting a grin on his face. He knew that in order to become strong, he had no other choice but to go beyond his own limits and grasp it in a life-and-death struggle against an absolute powerhouse. And thus, he held up his sword and took a step forward. With the only weapon he had¡ª his ¡°will¡± in his heart ¡ªhe brandished his sword in a broad manner. ¡°You probably think I¡¯m just a small fry, and I won¡¯t deny that. I may look like one who¡¯d die on the battlefield, but don¡¯t lump me in with the rest of them.¡± He declared that he didn¡¯t stare at the ground nor look behind him, all the more reason why he was different from those spineless insects. ¡°You¡¯re said to be peerless, so you¡¯re the strongest in the world, right?¡± He announced, questioning the fact that he was really up against a peerless, undisputed enemy. ¡­And so their fight for life began with such an unprecedented provocation. The short memory of being a ¡°Star Slayer¡± vividly reflected the scene. That was the beginning of the heroic tale of the man who was later called the ¡°Sword Demon¡± and ¡°Star Slayer.¡± The life of a man who earnestly hoped, dared, suffered wounds, and still continued to reach out for an act that everyone else had declared impossible. His brilliance and passion for ¡°Star Slaying¡± which laid the foundation of his life were more dazzling than gold. *** *** ¡°¡­Nn¡­¡± I found myself awake. I could still see the moon through the window, with the moonlight shining through the clouds illuminating me. From how it looked outside, it seemed like I hadn¡¯t slept at all. The view outside the window hadn¡¯t changed much from just before I fell asleep. ¡°¡­I hadn¡¯t dreamt of him for a long time.¡± I just happened to see a brief, fractured dream with all of my might and spirit alone. Thanks to that short dream that showed the life of the man who had lived such a way, my wavering heart had been settled. And for that reason, I laughed. ¡°A place where even the knights of the royal capital die¡­ If I, a regular human being, managed to survive in such a place, I wonder if I could move forward a little again.¡± I asked the stars hidden away in the clouds¡ª When people die, do they become stars? That¡¯s what my longing had said, and I believed it. Therefore, I was asking my longing. From the moment that I first longed to be a ¡°Star Slayer,¡± my future was already set in place. If I were to die in the process, then I¡¯ve only gone so far. I certainly felt bad for Sofia and my father, but my route was set to being a ¡°Star Slayer.¡± I took up the sword and waited for two years to be one. It wouldn¡¯t change now, there¡¯s just no way it could. Just like this heat that I felt. This must be my destiny. I rose from bed and sat on the edge, then turned my attention to my right hand and created a sword. I put the sword I created at my waist and stood up. ¡°¡­I hope you¡¯re still here.¡± If I went out through the front door, I¡¯d be just risking my father and mother finding out about it, so I slowly opened the window of my room and climbed out. And needless to say, it was dark. There was not a soul in sight. I ran towards the entrance of the village, but there was no one to be seen. I couldn¡¯t see the village chief, Alec, anywhere. ¡­I guess I was too late. I was afraid to ignore my father¡¯s words and be selfish right at that moment despite all he had done for me, so I forced myself to sleep to forget about this incident. Such thoughts were stirring in my heart. Judging from the tilt of the moon, not much time had passed yet. I took a step out of the village, thinking that they must definitely be nearby, and three figures appeared in my field of vision. Luckily, Viera Islebark and the others were still there, spreading out the map and discussing something. And soon after sensing my presence, she spoke before I could even call out to her. ¡°¡­Do you still need something?¡± My father and Alec must have already talked to her about this. Her expression was as doll-like as ever, and it was difficult to tell from there. However, it was easy to guess from the appearance of the knights who were said to be accompanying her. ¡°I have something I want to talk about with you.¡± She took a breath of exasperation and shook her head slightly. ¡°¡­Our discussion is already finished. I¡¯m afraid there¡¯s nothing more for us to talk about.¡± ¡°¡­I guess so.¡± The fact that she was about to leave the village was proof of that. But¡­ But still¡­ I dared to say a few more words. ¡°I have a favor to ask¡­ Please take me with you.¡± I bowed my head. But what came back was just an exasperated sigh. ¡°It is certainly strange for me to say this, but if you were to follow me, you¡¯d probably die. And the more conceited and stupid you are, the quicker you do.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not conceited, and the proof for it is¡­ the fact that I want to come with you. Besides, I want to see with my own eyes what it¡¯s like in that place.¡± Not in a dream. Not in a flashback of a memory. But in the real world, with my own eyes. She¡¯s called the ¡°Warrior Princess.¡± She must be incredibly strong, even her appearance exuded it. So even though I knew that it would be disrespectful of my father¡¯s concern and that I would be violating my promise to Sofia, I couldn¡¯t help but feel that I wanted to go down this road. I couldn¡¯t help but pursue it. At the same time that I was disgusted with myself, I was also made to understand that I would be blinded by my dream of becoming a ¡°Star Slayer¡± until the end of my life. ¡ª¡ª ¡ª¡ª Chapter 20 Star-Slaying Swordsman Chapter 20 ¡°¡ªEverything is for the sake of ¡®Star Slaying.¡¯¡± And with that, I concluded my words. However, the frown that was directed at me seemed to say that she didn¡¯t understand the meaning behind what I just said. But nevertheless, I felt fine from within. Saying it out loud made me feel it even more. I had come to understand that the ¡°greed¡± that drove me as a person, no matter how far I went, or how hard I tried, could only lead to being a ¡°Star Slayer.¡± ¡°¡­¡®Star Slaying¡¯¡­¡± The few words resonated well in the quiet night scene. The tone of her voice, which contained a hint of bewilderment, was evident to me as well. ¡°¡­I do not know of such legend, but there is no greater act of foolishness in this world than barbarism.¡± It was true. I knew it without it even being pointed out. But if there was an opportunity for me to be strong, I wanted to reach out to it. And if that was indeed the case, I had to throw away even a moment¡¯s hesitation and do so. There was a ¡°limit¡± to the time that was equally given to human beings after all. ¡°But if you want to go, there is no reason for me to forcefully refuse.¡± As it should be. She was the one who had requested the manpower in the first place. ¡°But I must tell you, I¡¯ve never heard of anyone who has been under my command ever being able to become a ¡®Star Slayer.¡¯¡± In other words, being able to ¡°Slay the Stars¡± was the ultimate goal. It was a longing that existed beyond my reach. Therefore, I was aware that even if I were to be able to accomplish slaying monsters in Minaura this time, I still wouldn¡¯t be a Star Slayer. ¡­In other words, this was just a process. To reach it, I knew that I¡¯d have to risk my life to exceed my ¡°limit¡± or beyond. And I¡¯d have to do it repeatedly, step by step, one at a time. By committing myself to uncommon practices that were deemed to be like a daredevil, I¡¯d be finally able to stand on a stage where I just might be able to reach it. Therefore¡­ ¡°I know that.¡± I kept my reply to just that. In response to my simple and concise reply, the question ¡°Why, then?¡± never came. To Viera Islebark, I was just another crazy villager, and I wasn¡¯t someone she¡¯d be interested in. ¡°I see.¡± It was the same nonchalant tone in her voice. Soon after, she turned her attention to the knights accompanying her and requested a certain something. And as soon as she did, a knight came to me, handing me a map that he had spread and half-pressed it to my chest. ¡°There is a town called Minaura southwest of here. If you accept the draft, please come there before the full moon. If you die on your way there, we will simply assume that you did not comply.¡± Viera then turned her eyes for a moment to the moon looming above her hair and declared just that. The map, which had been open until just before, showed that there was a good distance from my village to Minaura. Unless one was extremely lucky, one would surely encounter monsters on the way there. In other words, it was a test. Sending out manpower¡­ But I wouldn¡¯t be so sure to call one that if they couldn¡¯t even defeat monsters along their way there. My father would definitely die if he went, and maybe this was the very reason why he talked to me in such a manner. But¡ª ¡°I understand.¡± That didn¡¯t sway my mind. The intense passion in my eyes would not diminish. Only the knight who handed me the map was slightly surprised by my words, not having even a moment¡¯s hesitation in it. ¡°We still have some work to do, so well then.¡± She then turned her back to me and started to walk away, one step at a time, towards somewhere. Her two companions who had been looking at me soon did the same as well. The three backs were getting smaller and smaller by the moment. I watched them for a few dozen seconds, and then looked up at the sky after seeing that they were completely lost in the night darkness. The moon, still slightly hidden by the clouds, shone on me. There were probably still 20 days to go until the full moon. At this rate, there should be no problem even if I headed there a little slower. ¡­Maybe I should write a letter of apology to Sofia. With these thoughts in my mind, I looked up at the sky and stood still. My gaze was drawn not to the crescent moon, but to the stars that were shining right beside it. ¡ª¡ª ¡ª¡ª Chapter 21 Star-Slaying Swordsman Chapter 21 ¡­What in the world was real anymore? After parting ways with Viera Islebark, I went back home with the map in my hand, pondering to myself as I wrote the letter. Just¡­ what in the world was real anymore? As the years went by, I had begun to wonder. How much of this heat and passion was real? Someone told me¡­ That they didn¡¯t understand why I was so willing to choose a path that I knew would hurt me. Someone told me¡­ That I was insane. And someone told me¡­ That the sword that I held in my hand wouldn¡¯t be able to slay anything. They thought that I was possessed by an unknown being. I longed for it, dreamt of it. And I wanted to be just like it. I thought it was a perfectly valid motivation, but for some reason, I couldn¡¯t get the approval of the people around me. Humans were such strange beings. If people around you kept telling you that you were crazy, no matter how much you thought otherwise, you would eventually start to believe it. ¡­Those doubts were coating my thoughts. ¡°I feel like¡­ if I just keep persevering, I¡¯ll be able to figure it out.¡± Nonetheless, I was only sure about one thing. I aspired to be a ¡°Star Slayer¡± out of my own free will. There was no room for anyone else¡¯s intentions to intervene because I genuinely longed to be one. To begin with, the only way to achieve my dream was to keep reaching out to it. No matter how many people said it was impossible, I wouldn¡¯t be able to become a ¡°Star Slayer¡± unless I was willing to go beyond my limits, let alone surpass them. ¡°No, there¡¯s just no other way for me but to go down this path.¡± I wanted to be strong after all. As long as I became stronger, I would be able to achieve my dream. I would have the opportunity to prove to everyone that Slaying the Stars was possible. ¡­But I knew. Frankly speaking, I knew that I was somewhat out of sync with the rest of the world, with my values entirely different than theirs. ¡°¡­In order to be a Star Slayer, I need opportunities. If I don¡¯t take on something that is stronger than myself, I won¡¯t be able to overcome the wall.¡± I saw the swordsman¡¯s figure, and I understood it clearly as our eyes met. I knew I shouldn¡¯t let this opportunity pass by. Suffice to say, Viera Islebark looked like gold to me, with her surroundings just as valuable as she was. ¡°I have a role model to follow¡­ A first-rate swordsman to boot.¡± Therefore, I had no desire to beg for guidance from some other person. Because I, of all people, believed that the ¡°Star-Slaying¡± techniques were the supreme ones. *** *** ¡°But there was a definite difference between me and the swordsman in my dream, something I lacked to a fatal degree.¡± ¡ªAnd that was experience and knowledge. The memories I had acquired on my own through dreams were, from one to a hundred, all memories of battles. ¡­They were memories of combat by a man with natural talent. There was only one thing I had learned from my deadly confrontation with that ogre. That I was not the same as the swordsman in my dream. And it was such an extremely natural fact. The reason I waited two years was to learn my limits. In order to have a chance at being a Star Slayer, I needed to know my limits while there were still people I could rely on around me. ¡°All the more reason for me not to miss out on a great opportunity¡­ I know my limits, and I¡¯m going to break them. I¡¯m not even strong enough to take on my dream, and that¡¯s why I¡¯m here.¡± Thus, I had no choice but to take small detours, overcome the walls, and grow stronger. Understanding this, this opportunity was perfect for me. ¡°¡­It doesn¡¯t matter whether I was sane or not to begin with, let alone I care about it. As long as I can prove that my ¡®aspiration¡¯ is the strongest, that¡¯s all that matters.¡± I wanted to make it known. I wanted to wield my sword and show that the art of ¡°Star Slaying¡± was the strongest. I chuckled bitterly to myself and wondered if anyone other than me would understand the truth of such a child-like belief. I looked at the window of my room and saw my reflection there. A pair of unwavering eyes reflected in my vision. ¡­It seemed that I have a personality that, once I had decided on the right path, I had to stick to it. I was a real pain in the ass and a total jerk if I said so myself, trying to make excuses and thinking that it was also for the greater good of the village, just to be able to persist with what I wanted. ¡°Ahh¡­ I¡¯m really beyond saving¡­¡± I held on to the map that had been handed to me, knowing that Sofia would be very disappointed in me. ¡°I know it¡¯s hopeless, but I can¡¯t stop.¡± Call it instinct, if you will. The unexplainable fever-like feeling inside of me constantly affirmed this very decision, leaving almost no room for any doubts. My father said that I was going to die if I went and accepted Viera Islebark¡¯s draft. I guessed that what he said was true, he never lied to me after all. He knew that I was a pure and honest person to a fault, and that¡¯s why he rarely lied to me. Therefore it must be true. But¡ª Still¡­ ¡°I might die, huh? What an unideal stepping stone to be a ¡®Star Slayer.¡¯ Bring it on.¡± I knew that achieving my dream was a far-reaching feat, so all the more reason for me to challenge it. It was precisely because I was told that I was going to die that I went head-first in the opposite direction; I could only describe it as a huge fool¡¯s errand, even though it was my own. So¡­ ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Sofia. I¡¯m going to take a little detour.¡± With that, I folded the letter I was writing and put it away in a drawer. Once they knew that I wouldn¡¯t be coming to the capital anytime soon, they would surely open and check that place. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to you too, father.¡± I shoved the map into my back pocket, muttering all the apologies in my heart. Apologies for being such a troublesome boy who still turned his back at all the worries that were put on him. ¡ª¡ª ¡ª¡ª Chapter 22 Star-Slaying Swordsman Chapter 22 * * * * * ¡°¡­I guess I left without permission after all.¡± However, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that if I wasn¡¯t planning to go to the capital, the option of leaving home without permission was more convenient for me than anything else. Therefore¡ª ¡°But oh well¡ª It can¡¯t be helped.¡± Saying so, I selfishly affirmed my own action. Still, there was a possibility that my father might come after me in a great panic if I really left the house safely, let alone without permission, so I decided to leave a note saying that I had no intention of dying until I slew the stars. Perhaps it was already safe to say that this had eliminated any chance of my father coming after me. The last thing I needed was not being able to Slay the Stars. And he knewbetter than anyone that no matter what he said, I wouldn¡¯t budge. ¡°¡­I¡¯m going to have to put this topic behind me for now and just think about getting to Minaura.¡± I took out the map I had shoved in the back of my pocket and checked its details. After finishing the letter, I left the house carrying the luggage I had prepared in advance. The surroundings have not yet broken out of the night scene, having two more hours before the sunrise. Night is the world of monsters. And now that I¡¯ve left, I need to keep walking until the sun comes up. After all the things I declared, I can¡¯t afford to be killed by monsters on the way. ¡°If I hurry, it¡¯d take me probably a week.¡± Thanks to the map showing the village where I live and the small lakes in the area, I could determine the approximate distance it¡¯d take for me to reach Minaura. It¡¯d take one week, indeed. ¡°¡­I need to figure out how far I can go in one day.¡± Even though there was still time before the full moon, I couldn¡¯t take my time. Fortunately, there were several landmarks on the map on the way to Minaura. And using them as a guide, the only thing to do now was to continue onward. * * * * * Human life is relatively light in this world. Friends and family members who meet, connect with each other, and eat from the same pot might end up being involved in some kind of tragedy and die the next day. ¡ªNo matter where one lived, that was indeed the case. Such words came out of our mouths as if they were a matter of fact in this world. It was a sad event, but it was not that unusual. In this world where monsters, beings that attack people, existed, it was not an unusual tragedy. And because human life was so light, there were many people who engaged in violent acts. There were those who thought that if there was something they wanted, they could just kill and take it. Yes, for example¡ª bandits. ¡°That¡¯s amazing¡­¡± I found myself saying words of admiration. It had been several hours since I left the house unannounced, and it was already bright outside. The hot sunlight was pouring down from above as if it would never end. As I made my way to Minaura, I saw a scene in front of my eyes that I honestly and frankly had to admit was amazing. It was the sight of a young man who was standing up against several bandits. He was probably not much older than me, but his skillful stance was reminiscent of a swordsman who had fought many battles. ¡°¡­I¡¯m in a hurry. Won¡¯t you move it?¡± The young man¡¯s eyes narrowed lazily, with his sword in its sheath in one hand and his words in the other. In front of him were¡­ eight bandits. ¡­What a poor excuse. The first thing that came to mind was that the young man didn¡¯t seem to be in any hurry at all. Rather than that, he looked like a man with a tired expression on his face who couldn¡¯t be bothered with anything. However, even I, who had not actually faced him in real combat, was made to understand that what he said was not to attempt to escape the bind, let alone a hollow bluff. It was simply to avoid actually fighting them. However, they were more than enough to judge his ability. ¡°¡­I¡¯m thinking of helping him out, but¡­¡± It was pretty obvious which of the two parties was the evil one. That¡¯s why I thought that I should rush and help the young man who was surrounded, but that thought had been completely erased by their previous exchange. ¡­I¡¯d probably just get in his way. Or so I pondered as I hid behind a tree. *** *** ¡°I¡¯ll let you guys off the hook the first time, but let me warn you all. If you interfere any further, I¡¯ll have to take some appropriate measures.¡± ¡°Hey hey hey, aren¡¯t you quite the talker? ¡­Don¡¯t think that you could pull off a fluke on us the second time.¡± Contemptuous words directed at the young man. However, the young man didn¡¯t pay any attention to them. He only stared at the bandits with loathsome eyes, as if exasperated. He let out a sigh. Understanding that the other party had no intention of budging, the young man murmured. ¡°Haaah¡­ Seems like today is a bad day for some reason.¡± The young man complained about the trouble he was going through, but his eyes were those of a hunter on the prowl. He kept his piercing eyes fixed on his enemies, as if he was a bird of prey. Witnessing such a scene, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if I would be able to overcome him if we were to face each other. I decided that it would probably be impossible, and so I burst out laughing. The moment I left the village, this was what greeted me. As per Viera Islebark, the world was so big, and there were many opportunities that could raise one¡¯s standing. So I just had to laugh about it. ¡°¡­You¡¯re the ones that came and picked a fight so, obviously, I¡¯m not accepting any complaints later.¡± With graceful movements, the young man pulled the sword from the sheath in his hand, and dropped it to the ground. A calm and composed figure reflected in my vision. This told me with certainty that the sword in his hand was not just for show. But, I wasn¡¯t so sure about it. Despite his bold words, for some reason, the young man took a step back with his sword poised in the air. His action could be seen as an attempt to flee from the situation. The bandits, seeing this, were convinced that he was bluffing, and with a gleam in their eyes, they kicked up the earth and began to rush toward him. (¡­He¡¯s good.) Thanks to the side view, I was able to judge the situation correctly. That young man was neither cowardly nor pretentious¡ª He was fishing for their action. He wanted the bandits to rush to him with joy. So he stepped back as if he had been terrified. If that was the case¡ª the end was already in sight. As if to confirm that my hunch was not mistaken¡ª FWOOSH! A powerful breeze from a sword shook my eardrums, and soon after, a bright red liquid flew into the air. In an instant, the smell of death filled my senses, and my sweat glands broke out in a flash at the sight of it. ¡°¡­¡­Huh?¡± Said by a wild voice. It was the voice of the bandit who had been cut down. He didn¡¯t know what happened, and his voice was leaking out as if to say so. Looking at his own torso, which had been separated, he couldn¡¯t even give a desperate cry, and his voice faded away with a heavy thud. ¡°Next.¡± He turned his sword, and made another heavy swinging sound, as if he was brushing away rain from an umbrella. Then, one of the bandits, who had dismissed the movement as an opening, entered the gap and tried to slice through, but¡­ ¡°This isn¡¯t an opening. It was purposeful.¡± The bandit absorbed a sharp right leg blow as he got kicked like a ball, his face contorted in pain as his bones creaked and his eyes bulged out, bouncing twice, three times on the ground. He was sent flying and landed at an angular rock, and the unpleasant sound of something crushing and breaking filled my ears. That only left six bandits. Or so I thought, as at the same moment, blood splashed out of the bodies of the remaining five. (What did he do just now¡­?!) ¡­I felt a slight sense of discomfort. It was as if he was creating a sword. And if there was a source, it was probably ¡°magic¡±. ¡­At any rate, with the exception of one bandit in front of the young man, everyone was submerged in their own blood that painted the earth in a gruesome manner. It was so horrifically done that I could not help but admire it. ¡°W-Wait!!! This is just a misunderstanding!!! I was just asked by them to¡ª!!!¡± ¡°I told you I wouldn¡¯t accept any complaints later.¡± The bandit, now realizing that the young man in front of him was a monster beyond his control, began to frantically string together words and beg for his life. However, the young man didn¡¯t seem to listen at all, and his response¡ª a cold, side-splitting blow. ¡°Haaah¡­¡± Once again, there came the blood swinging motion. The young man let out a deep sigh as he sheathed his sword in the scabbard he had dropped on the ground. ¡°So how long are you going to hide over there?¡± I was confused for a second. I had been hiding in the shade of a tree for a long time, and the words of dismay were directed at me. Well, I should say that this was a given. It seemed that no matter how much of an irresistible scene was happening, peeping in on someone was not going to end without incident. ¡ª¡ª ¡ª¡ª Chapter 23 Star-Slaying Swordsman Chapter 23 ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry for hiding. I don¡¯t know if you¡¯d believe me or not, but I have no intention of harming you.¡± I said so as I emerged from the shade of the tree where I¡¯d been hiding, but as I expected¡­ The young man only twitched in dismay and showed no sign of believing my words. ¡°Why are you here, then? ¡­I¡¯m certain that you already know, but this isn¡¯t the most public place.¡± As it should be. This was a forest. It was also blessed with places to hide, so much so that it could be called a perfect spot for bandits to ambush you and attack people. In addition, it is hopelessly deserted. The young man said that it was a little too much for me to say that I only happened to be here by chance. However, no matter how suspicious it may seem, the reason I was here was really the result of coincidence. In fact, since that was the case, there was no other excuse. ¡°I was just on my way to Minaura.¡± ¡°¡­Minaura, you say?¡± ¡°A noblewoman from the capital came to our village and demanded that if we didn¡¯t want our taxes to get raised, we¡¯d have to send out manpower. And I was the one to get sent out¡ª that¡¯s the reason I was passing through this place.¡± ¡°Do you have any proof to back you up?¡± Hearing that, I held and presented the map I had in my hand. I didn¡¯t know if I could call it proof, but this very thing was given to me by Viera Islebark¡¯s companion, her knight. I thought that it would at least prove that I was really on my way to Minaura, even if it was only a little. ¡°I have a map to Minaura. Why would a mere villager like me have such a first-rate map for no good reason?¡± Hence, he was supposed to believe me now. While my eyes spoke louder than my mouth, I remained wary of the young man in front of me who had intrigued me relentlessly. If he ended up not believing me, it was inevitable that a battle would break out. I was prepared to draw my sword, but on the bright side¡­ ¡°¡­That¡¯s true, you do have a point.¡± The young man¡¯s reply was so simple and satisfying that it was almost unintentionally surprising to hear. ¡°That map that you hold in your hand is the one provided to the knights of the capital. Certainly, it¡¯s not something that a brat like you should possess.¡± More than anything, he wanted to nitpick my reason, but he ended up agreeing with what I said, thinking that I didn¡¯t even have the ability to steal it. ¡°¡­But since you¡¯re going to Minaura, you¡¯re going to clean up some monsters too, huh? What a coincidence. But since we¡¯re already here, I¡¯ll give you some good advice. Don¡¯t go to Minaura. It¡¯s not a place for a brat like you. At least wait until you¡¯re five years older before you come back.¡± ¡­Too, he says. The fact that he said so suggested that the young man before me was also on his way to Minaura. And indeed, his advice was sound. My father also told me not to go. Viera Islebark was somewhat dismayed to hear me say that I was planning to head there as well. But¡ª none of those matter. The skill, the means, the experience, it doesn¡¯t matter. I was probably missing a lot of things in me right now. Yeah, I knew. Without anyone telling me such a thing, I knew that better than anyone. I knew myself the best. Still, it didn¡¯t matter. None of such things mattered in front of the heat of Star Slaying, my desire, and my dream. Therefore I could just agree that everything else was irrelevant. That¡¯s why¡ª The young man was still in a muddled state of mind, and after telling me to go home, he scratched his hair with an exasperated sigh. ¡°¡­You have a reason why you¡¯re going after all.¡± I guess I had unknowingly revealed my true feelings. Perhaps sensing it, the young man muttered to himself as if dumbfounded. ¡°What are you going for, then? Do you want to make a name for yourself like I am?¡± His face broke into a little smile. But in fact, perhaps I was not mistaken in feeling that the conversation was not due to a mutual openness, but rather a confirmation of some sort. ¡°¡­I guess I want to make a name for myself. Anyhow, I want to give back to my father and other people. I want to be strong too, and going to Minaura is the most convenient thing for me. That¡¯s all.¡± ¡°I think a brat like you would die nine times out of ten if you went to Minaura right now, though.¡± I knew that. ¡°I guess so. But that¡¯s all the more reason why I think it makes sense.¡± ¡°¡­Huh?¡± *** *** He furrowed his brows as if he was completely dumbfounded by what I¡¯m saying. I guess he didn¡¯t understand what I really meant when I said that it made perfect sense, even though he pointed out that I was going to die, and I had an idea why he would think so. That¡¯s why¡­ I¡¯d declare it as I liked. No matter what anyone said, I didn¡¯t change my mind. ¡°Nine times out of ten, I will seize the remaining life that¡¯s left to me in the midst of the chances of me dying. If I don¡¯t, I¡¯ll never get there.¡± No matter how much I tried to imitate the swordsman in my dream, his words, his thoughts, and his techniques¡­ if I failed to make the effort to overcome the wall, I¡¯d be nothing more than a superficial failure. ¡°That¡¯s why people can just tell me that I¡¯m going to die as much as they like.¡± ¡°I see. I understand it well after exchanging words with you. You¡¯re not with those bandits, you¡¯re just an idiot who wants to be a martyr for your ideals.¡± ¡­And I thought I had a point. I was just another idiot to him. Yeah, yeah. I¡¯d heard that many times before, and even I, an idealist, sometimes thought that I was an idiot myself. So I wasn¡¯t going to argue with that. ¡°It¡¯s concluded, then. Let¡¯s end this conversation. If you¡¯re not a bandit, then I have no reason to point my sword at you. Sorry for doubting you.¡± The conversation was cut short with a few quick words. I recalled him saying that he was in a hurry when he was confronted by the bandits. I knew there was still time before the full moon, but to my eyes, the young man in front of me didn¡¯t seem to be a villager. If anything, he was about as close as one could get to the physical appearance of what one would call an adventurer like Lowe and Lilea. In addition, the way he had just responded to the bandits would be quite unreasonable to call him a villager. So it was only natural that he would be different from me. I thought to myself. I was heading to Minaura with the help of a map, but as soon as I saw the young man saying his farewell and walking off in a completely different direction, I couldn¡¯t help but let out a few unspoken words. ¡°¡­That way won¡¯t lead you to Minaura, are you sure you want to head there?¡± The young man was about to walk away with one hand raised in the air, but he stopped dead in his tracks when he heard my words. ¡°¡­Really?¡± He turned to me again, moving like a broken tin doll. The ever-changing expression on his face clearly showed his cry of grief. ¡­Don¡¯t tell me that this person¡­ An idea occurred to me a moment after. ¡°Sorry, but can I have a look at your map?¡± With that, the man walked up to me with bloodshot eyes, staring at the map in my hand. ¡°¡­I thought I had asked for directions to Minaura back when I was in the town of Raska, but I still can¡¯t get there for some reason.¡± By normal means, he should have arrived there long ago. And after taking his time looking at the map I was holding¡­ ¡°¡ªAH! Those bastards¡­!!! They told me false directions just because I know nothing¡­!!!¡± ¡°Raska¡± was the name of a town located closer to Minaura than our current location. But instead of coming closer, the young man was led away and even got tangled up with bandits. I couldn¡¯t believe my eyes. ¡°¡­Damn it. That¡¯s why I can see nothing but trees no matter how far I go.¡± After proclaiming that he¡¯d kick their asses, he turned around and attempted to back the way he came. ¡°¡­Aren¡¯t you in a hurry?¡± ¡°Y-Yeah¡­ Sorry for all of this.¡± He came to his senses after hearing a word of mine, saying that he¡¯d kick their asses after he was done with everything. But even with that, he was setting his foot in the wrong direction again. ¡­He must be one of those people. One that has no sense of direction. My impression was definitely correct. And intuitively, this person was probably not a bad person. I guess that was why I thought about reaching out to him. ¡°¡­Um¡ª¡± ¡°¡­HUH?!¡± ¡°We can go to Minaura together¡­ if you don¡¯t mind.¡± Swallowing the words I held in my mouth, I made such a proposal. And by the looks of it, it would take quite a while to get there. ¡ª¡ª ¡ª¡ª Chapter 24 Star-Slaying Swordsman Chapter 24 And so a gaze was focused on the map that I was holding. ¡°¡­Hmm¡­¡± A snarl came from the young man¡¯s mouth as he thought it over. Then shortly after, he wrapped it up by muttering words of satisfaction to himself. ¡°So you want me to be your sword in exchange for your guidance?¡± He spoke out loud with a conclusion that was quite natural, as he and I had never met before. When something was offered to someone, it was normal to conclude that it was a give and take. But I shook my head at his words. ¡°No way. I¡¯m not expecting anything like that.¡± I returned the words with a slightly bitter smile on my face. ¡°I said it because, if I had to say so, you didn¡¯t seem like a bad person. And you don¡¯t have to worry about me, I can fend myself against the monsters that¡¯d attack by myself.¡± ¡°¡­You seem really confident.¡± ¡°Of course. I¡¯m going to Slay the Stars after all. I can¡¯t call myself a ¡®Star Slayer¡¯ if I can¡¯t stand against mere monsters.¡± I would cut down every obstacle that stood in my way. Without that kind of spirit, there was no story to be told. As I spoke these words from my heart, a burst of laughter reached my eardrums, which roared louder and louder each time. ¡°Ku¡ª Hahaha!! AHAHAHAHAHA!! A Star Slayer? What the hell is that? You¡¯re not going to really try and slay those things in the night sky, are you?¡± I frowned in response to his loud laughter and, unfortunately, I recalled having memories of being laughed at for saying such a thing in the first place. And so I chose to be silent about it. ¡°I have lived for twenty-five years, and I¡¯ve never met anyone who¡¯d proclaim such a thing¡­ so I¡¯ll tell you as your senior. If you fail to know your place, the only thing that awaits you is death.¡± ¡°I know without having you tell me. I understand it best, and that¡¯s why I¡¯m proclaiming it.¡± That was to say, he¡¯s saying that one should know their place, and that one should be capable of doing something that could only be considered a fool¡¯s errand, let alone Slaying the Stars. And in fact, I believed I could do it. I had the memories of the only and only ¡°Star-Slaying Swordsman,¡± and therefore, it was not impossible. ¡°¡­Haaah. I give you friendly advice, but you won¡¯t listen to me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m listening just fine. Upon hearing your words, I¡¯m just still planning to get to Minaura, that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what you call not listening.¡± Haaah¡­ The young man sighed for what seemed like the hundredth time. ¡°¡­I would rather not admit it, but according to my friend, I¡¯m what you call a hopelessly direction-impaired person. If you¡¯re going to show me the way, I¡¯d love to take advantage of your hospitality, but are you sure you don¡¯t want me to protect you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not repeating myself again.¡± ¡°Hah¡ª What a quick reply. Well, that¡¯s the spirit. I like your enthusiasm, if anything.¡± He chuckled uncontrollably, overflowing with laughter at my lack of grace. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure you already know, but the closer we get to Minaura, the more monsters we¡¯ll encounter, and such battles are definitely inevitable¡­ Don¡¯t hold a grudge on me if you end up dying.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need you to reiterate that. I won¡¯t change my mind about this, no matter what you say.¡± ¡°¡­Jeez. What an unloveable little brat.¡± He really wasn¡¯t a bad person. I affirmed it as he constantly asked me if I was going to be fine from time to time. ¡­That was probably how unreliable I looked in his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m not going to lend you a hand if you really insist, are you really sure?¡± At the same time, the sound of rustling leaves reached my ears. And immediately afterward, a possibility popped into my mind. Smelling the stench of death, similar to iron rust that pervaded the area, I turned my attention to the direction where the corpses of the bandits were. ¡­Monsters were sharp at discerning the scent of blood. I was suddenly reminded of the blunder I made two years ago where I had lured the ogre to me because I let the goblin¡¯s blood stick to my body. ¡°¡­Monsters.¡± The moment I said the word, the smile reflexively slipped from my face. My right hand went to the hilt of the sword on my waist and clenched it quietly. ¡°Hmm~?¡± The young man who stared at my posture, as if he had no regard for monsters, sounded somewhat impressed. ¡°So, what are you going to do? I can¡¯t have my precious guide get¡ª¡± But I paid no heed to his words, and instead, I turned my attention to the monsters that were likely hiding just beyond my line of sight, with an alertness that I had pressed to the limit. I leaned forward with my weight and leaped backward, kicking the earth away from my body. ¡°¡ªkilled here, h-HEY! Were you even listening to me?!¡± He raised his voice, but my approach toward monsters was to win. The idea was to attack the opponent before they even had the chance to engage me. Thus¡ª ¡°Probably somewhere around here¡­¡± Quick as a flash, I pulled out the sword at my waist and shifted my hand to a reverse grip, then I threw the sword in a spear-like throwing motion. ¡°HUUUH?! Haaah¡­ I knew you were hopelessly stupid, but who is crazy enough to give up his only weapon?!¡± The young man was screaming, perhaps to get an answer as to what I was doing, but I still ignored it like I was doing earlier. My sword was a magical weapon that would always exist by my side, so there was all the more reason for me to not be concerned about it. *** *** As soon as the sword I threw pierced the earth, the monsters hiding in the vicinity made a noise and dispersed from the area. Determining their count¡ª there were five of them. ¡°Sorry, two of them went your way! Those monsters have four legs¡­ They¡¯re probably wolves!!!¡± Knowing that it was unnecessary, I still yelled out in a panic. A four-legged predator, and a monster that easily tears off human limbs¡ª The wolf. They were probably lured here by the stench of the bandit corpses. I had been so caught up in the young man¡¯s fearsome skill that I had completely lost track of it. Even my father had told me to stay as far away as possible from places that smelled of death unless I was confident that I could defeat them even when surrounded by dozens of monsters. ¡°No, don¡¯t mind that! You don¡¯t have a sword now, do¡ª ¡­you?¡± However, contrary to the frantic concern of the young man, I was already holding the sword in my hand that was supposed to have been thrown away at the distance. And that¡¯s why he stopped speaking in the middle of his sentence. ¡°It would¡¯ve been nice if I was able to impale at least one of them. But I guess things don¡¯t work out how you want after all.¡± Wolves were very quick monsters. They were not gentle monsters that you could take down once you set your eyes on them. In fact, the sword that I threw was just piercing the earth in vain. ¡°¡­No. I can get a hold of them, and the fact that they came out to me says it all.¡± Five wolves spread out. Three of them set their sights on me and jumped out from behind the bushes to attack me at once. And as usual¡­ they came at me jumping in a straight line. ¡°No matter how quick you guys are, if you can only aim in one direction, there¡¯s a way to deal with you.¡± Monsters with low intelligence, especially wolves, only attack in one straight line. And as long as one knows in advance which direction they¡¯ll attack, there was a definite way to deal with them. Bending slightly, I slid the sword I had instantly created over the ground. Then, with the momentum of their own leap, in a flash¡ª The unique feeling of a bone-cutting strike is passed from the sword into my hand, and I shrugged it off with a slight furrow of my brow. I turned my wrist and struck again. Two heads flew into the air at the same time. ¡°Hm.¡± Within a breath, the number of corpses increased. After confirming that I had definitely sent the heads of three monsters flying, I looked back over my shoulder and, sure enough, there he was. The image of a young man who had just finished disposing of the other monsters was reflected in my eyes. The smell of iron rust and lumps of meat tickled my nostrils. Although the discomfort in combination with the red color that gruesomely painted the earth rose at a concerning pace, I had already gotten used to it in my own way over the past two years. ¡°¡­Now this is a surprise. For a mere villager, I didn¡¯t expect you to be a magician.¡± The young man realized that the existence of my ¡°magic¡± was the reason for my unwavering confidence. He affirmed as he looked at my sword, which was dyed red in its entirety. ¡°You¡¯re also a pretty skilled fighter. I guess I was meddling for nothing.¡± Wolves were no strong monsters. In terms of strength alone, the ogre I encountered two years ago was tens of times stronger. Even so, the young man in front of me said it was an unneeded interference. Perhaps the reason for it was because of the craftiness shown in my process. ¡°I thought I¡¯d return the favor as soon as you offered to guide me, but from the looks of it, it seems unnecessary. I¡¯ll have the favor returned someday, then. ¡ªIt¡¯s a bit late, but I¡¯m Siva, just a swordsman.¡± I considered him to be a very strong swordsman, but following Siva¡¯s example, I introduced myself as well. ¡°I¡¯m Julius. Just a swordsman who¡¯s aspiring to be a Star Slayer.¡± ¡°Heh¡­ I don¡¯t even need to hear that, you already said it earlier.¡± Siva smiled at my statement, still somewhat taken aback. However, the thorniness that had been present just a moment ago had all but disappeared in the air. ¡°Then, before the next wave of monsters arrives¡­ I¡¯ll leave the guiding to you, Julius.¡± ¡ª¡ª ¡ª¡ª Chapter 25 Star-Slaying Swordsman Chapter 25 Creatures that attack human beings¡ª Monsters. They were nothing out of the ordinary in this world, and there was a simple answer as to how they are born. Monsters are born from miasma that accumulates in the air, takes on some form, and lives in this world as they are. ¡°¡ªIt¡¯s also known as the ¡®cursed town.¡¯ Or at least that¡¯s what other people call Minaura.¡± Siva explained that, compared to other towns, Minaura had a significantly higher level of miasma surrounding it, which is why there were many monsters residing in the city, thus getting its infamous name. ¡°And since there¡¯s a lot of miasma, the quality of the monsters is different and much stronger than usual. Most of the people on their way to Minaura died because of that very difference.¡± The more miasma there was, the higher the quality of the monsters were born. And being called the ¡°cursed town,¡± the quality of the monsters born in Minaura¡¯s vicinity wasn¡¯t hard to guess. ¡°All the more reason for me to take part in cleaning out monsters in Minaura, which is the most suitable place for me to make a name for myself. I¡¯m beginning to get tired of being a nobody in so many ways.¡± Saying so, Siva tapped the hilt of the sword at his waist. ¡°This is a renowned sword¡ª Gracia. The only reason that I¡¯m frequently targeted by bandits is that my sword is more well known than I am. I don¡¯t want to lose to my sword, so I¡¯m trying to get my name recognized too.¡± ¡°Hmm~?¡± I guess he knew I was a stranger to this world, having just come out of the village, so Siva frequently talked to me on our way to Minaura. And judging from what I¡¯d heard so far, perhaps it was better to think that Minaura was filled with the ¡°mutant species¡± that were mentioned by Lilea and Lowe, the adventurers who always came to our village. ¡°By the way, Julius.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been wondering since earlier, where in the world did you learn to fight? Who taught you how to use a sword?¡± Ever since the wolf incident, and after several encounters with monsters, he was probably curious about my swordsmanship, as such questions had been asked unexpectedly. ¡°The fact that you¡¯re a villager makes me think that you¡¯re self-taught¡­ but your swordsmanship is far too thorough to be what one would execute if he were to learn independently. But if you were taught by someone, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anyone out there who could teach you how to use a sword with such a refined skill to cut and slay enemies¡­¡± My swordsmanship was the result of devoting all my heart and soul into the effort of Slaying the Stars. I wasn¡¯t sure if he was praising or criticizing it, but one thing that I knew was that his words shook my eardrums. ¡­Really, I couldn¡¯t think of any reply I could give Siva right away, but then, after a few seconds of silent contemplation: ¡°It¡¯s pretty great, isn¡¯t it?¡± I let my face break out in a smile. The memory of the Star-Slaying Swordsman was unique to me¡­ and no one else, no matter who they are, could take them away from me. It was something only I was granted to have. Therefore, I proclaimed how great his swordsmanship was. ¡°But no matter how much I envy you, it¡¯s something I can¡¯t tell you. There¡¯s no one in this world who could¡¯ve taught me everything I know about the way of the sword, after all.¡± Rather than being dead, he wasn¡¯t even from this world to begin with. As far as I knew, I¡¯d never heard of anyone in this world who had devoted his life hoping to Slay the Stars, and thus, I got my answer. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Siva¡¯s face was overtly clouded with regret, as if he had heard something terrible. I thought of telling him that he was not dead, but no one would believe me if I said that my teacher was a swordsman that I saw in my dream. If anyone were to believe me, it would probably be only Sofia. So, although I felt sorry for Siva, I decided to let him be mistaken. ¡°That¡¯s one of the reasons why I want to be a Star Slayer. I want to prove that that swordsman¡¯s technique was truly capable of reaching the stars.¡± I wanted to make it known that my longing was the strongest of them all, and could even reach the stars. ¡°¡­Hm, I see. So even an idiot who¡¯s willing to sacrifice himself for his ideals is an idiot who has a firm resolution that he can¡¯t compromise, huh? That¡¯s good. I don¡¯t particularly dislike that kind of trait.¡± ¡ªAnd that trait was rather to his liking, he said. Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks I guess my ideology must¡¯ve tugged Siva¡¯s heartstrings. He muttered, as his face contorted into a joyful, happy expression. Then, he laughed without effort, thinking it would be tactless to ask for further confirmation. ¡°If you have such a good reason, I won¡¯t say anything more. I¡¯m thinking of beating you to death to make a brat like you understand, but I quit. I won¡¯t call someone who has that kind of determination a brat. Well, then¡­ Let¡¯s go to Minaura, kill those monsters, and immediately make a name for ourselves!!!¡± Wildly, he shouted the words all over the place. And then a huge, worn-off, old wall stood before our eyes. A wall so high it reached the sky. And soon after that¡ª ¡°¡ªIf you¡¯re the gatekeepers, make sure you do your jobs and kill the monsters who dared to step out of Minaura. Get him, Gladiator.¡° His magic unraveled. A moment later, a jet-black sword sprouted from the ground¡ª and stretched high to the sky. According to Siva, his magic was very similar to mine, aside from his ability to cast a sword anywhere. However, his magic was only temporary, and he couldn¡¯t use it as his own weapon as I could. Not long after, something fell with a thud. It was a winged insect-shaped monster. ¡°A¡­ magic user¡­!¡± ¡°Why are you so surprised? It¡¯s not so unusual to find magicians nowadays. There¡¯s your ¡®Warrior Princess,¡¯ me¡ª hell, even Julius here can use magic. So don¡¯t treat me like a freakish creature.¡± In front of us stood a towering wall. Siva spat out his words as he stared in dismay at the several men who stood near it, who looked like gatekeepers, then walked up to them. ¡°I don¡¯t know which of you has the name register, but hurry up and bring it out.¡± A name register? A question mark appeared above my head, but it lasted only for a moment. ¡°¡­Julius, you came here in Minaura because you¡¯re been drafted, right? If that¡¯s the case, we have to make sure we settle with that list first.¡± It reminded me of Viera Islebark¡¯s words, that if I arrive here, then I¡¯ve complied with the draft. Certainly, if I didn¡¯t leave some kind of trace that I had been here, the whole thing would be for naught. ¡°The country does some underhanded things with no hesitation, but on the other hand, they are also pretty adamant when it comes to the things they declare.¡± Something happened in the past, then. While Siva was rhetorically putting words in my mouth, the man at the gate, who had understood the situation, smiled and said that I, a villager, was a daredevil for coming here, and offered me a list of names. I looked down at the list of names handed to me. And it was a map drawn in a fine piece of paper that Viera had seemingly given to him. ¡°You know where your village is, right? Just put your magic seal there and the process is done.¡± A magic seal. It was a requirement in this world when a contract was made between two parties. Lilea told me that I would need it if I came to the capital someday, and since I had learned how to make a stamp when I was in the village, I did as I was told and put my thumb on the spot where my village was located. ¡°The people from other villages won¡¯t come anyway, so make sure to stamp a big one.¡± With Siva smiling happily by my side, I stamped my mark on the paper in a manner very similar to the way I handled magic. Read latest Chapters at Wuxia World . Site Only ¡°Your village won¡¯t suffer from higher taxes anymore. But on the other hand, you won¡¯t be able to back out now too, Julius.¡± ¡°I¡¯m only able to stand here because I broke the promise I made to my childhood friend. I have no intention of turning back now.¡± ¡°¡­Jeez, what a terrible friend you are.¡± ??¡ª¡ª ¡ª¡ª Chapter 26 Star-Slaying Swordsman Chapter 26 ¡°Clearing out the monsters in Minaura doesn¡¯t necessarily mean that you have to defeat all of them.¡± Siva said. ¡°It¡¯s impossible to get rid of the thick miasma surrounding Minaura in the first place.¡± He pointed out that eradicating monsters was impossible when all factors couldn¡¯t be taken into account. If that was the case, then how could we finish clearing out the monsters residing in Minaura? ¡°That¡¯s why we need to kill the head of the monsters that¡¯s lurking somewhere around Minaura. In a nutshell, as long as we kill the boss, it will guarantee this town another year of peace or so. When we defeat the strongest monster that periodically arises, another one is born, and we just have to defeat it again, and so on. In other words, it¡¯s just like a continuous cycle. Simple, isn¡¯t it?¡± I wouldn¡¯t say that killing monsters was meaningless, but Siva was telling me that unless I killed the head of the monsters that was lurking somewhere in this town, there would be no end to this process. Minaura was, as the legend said, a ¡°cursed town¡± without a doubt. The density of miasma in the air that surrounded this town was much higher than in other places, and if one didn¡¯t make regular preparations like this, the monsters would surely attack other villages and towns, eating through the scarred walls that were supposed to isolate them. However, the way to deal with this had already been established, and according to Siva, killing their leader seemed to do the job. And then¡­ ¡°One last piece of friendly advice. Don¡¯t think that your common sense and general knowledge will work here, let alone think that once you cut their heads off, they¡¯ll be dead. They don¡¯t call that damn noblewoman the Grim Reaper for nothing, do you understand?¡± The noblewoman he must be talking about was probably the ¡°Warrior Princess,¡± Viera Islebark. It¡¯s a place where one can literally feel death right beside them. And as soon as we stepped into Minaura, Siva said his farewell, and we parted ways. * * * * * ¡°¡ªThis place is terrible¡­¡± Looking around at the streets of Minaura, I chuckled to myself. Ruins that looked as if they¡¯d been burnt to a crisp stood in rows all over the place, and in some places, there were even traces of blood. And without a care in the world, the atmosphere gradually felt heavier as I walked around the town. However, even though it was isolated from the outside by a high wall, the entrance area was still densely populated with people. ¡°It¡¯s more like a battlefield than a town.¡± What seemed to be ashes and gravel were being blown around, and as if to follow, a peculiar smell that I didn¡¯t like very much¡ª the smell of burnt flesh ¡ªtickled my nostrils. ¡°¡­An adventurer, huh? How reckless of you to come alone.¡± I stopped to examine the surroundings of Minaura, and a voice of contempt emerged from somewhere. Perhaps it¡¯s due to my young appearance that contributes to this feeling, but I heard a voice say, ¡°Sometimes there are idiots like you who come here confusing the meaning of the words brave and courageous,¡± and I was sure I wasn¡¯t mistaken. I looked around to see where the voice was coming from¡ª and found it. A middle-aged man, leaning against a wall a short distance away, stretching out his leg, which was wrapped in bandages and being patched up, appeared in my field of vision. He was probably a little older than my father. The man stared at me in spite and, perhaps consumed by the pain, he looked at me with an expression of anguish on his face, yet directing his feelings of disbelief at me. ¡°A knight, huh?¡± From the man¡¯s appearance, I determined his identity straightforwardly. ¡°I¡¯ll take your advice at heart. It¡¯s advice from a knight of the kingdom, after all.¡± Surely, it was helpful advice from someone with much more combat experience than me, so I thought it was worth keeping in mind. But no matter who talked to me, I didn¡¯t plan on changing what I intended to be in the future. A certain ¡°Star Slayer¡± once told himself¡ª As long as he kept on longing for it, he would be able to reach it one day. He was talking about such a ridiculous theory as if it were a matter of fact. And I, a reckless human being, adored such a person. I had no doubt in my mind that this was the only way to become strong because I only had an extremely biased understanding of what it meant to be one. I had no choice but to do this in order to reach the goal I had set for myself, so I concluded that it was inevitable. *** *** Therefore, I took my eyes off the man who had spoken to me and tried to move forward again. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know what brought you to this place, but¡­¡± I guess one piece of advice wasn¡¯t enough. The wounded knight tried to add a few more words, but for some reason, he shut his mouth before he could finish. Just immediately after I wondered what was wrong¡­ A deep, dark, black being covered me. Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks It was a shadow. A big, big shadow. ¡°Tch¡­! If that son of a bitch reacted, then that means you¡¯re a magician¡­!!! H-Hey! Get the hell out of here, reckless kid!!!¡± A sound of a tongue clicking, and then an angry voice. If I had to say, this might¡¯ve been my baptism from the cursed town called Minaura. The shadow that covered me was even bigger than the ogre I faced two years ago. I realized that my legs were moving to jump back half-reflexively. Soon after I did, the place where I just was, was pierced by something sharp¡ª A massive claw. ¡°¡­A-Are you kidding me?¡± And suddenly, the battle began. I couldn¡¯t help but laugh at the sheer relentlessness of it all. I looked up and saw a huge monster with wings sprouting from its back. The blow from its front leg easily shattered the ground. If I hadn¡¯t been able to move reflexively, it wasn¡¯t difficult to imagine what would have happened to me. The difference in size was clearly evident. I wouldn¡¯t win against it in normal circumstances, so in a split second, I thought of what to do next. And then¡­ ¡°What the hell are you doing?! Get out of here, you fucking brat!! Are you trying to get that monster out of Minaura?!¡± The screaming rage shook my eardrums again. ¡°That monster son of a bitch is a mutant that reacts to magicians!!! Just run to the rear quickly!!!¡± A mutant species that reacts to magic users. I¡¯d never heard such a thing from Lilea and her fellow adventurers. But I suddenly remembered Siva¡¯s words, who told me to throw away my common sense. ¡­I now understood exactly what he meant. If such a monster¡ª a monster more than ten times my size ¡ªwere to head for my village¡­ It was easy to imagine that I would regret ending up in such a situation, so¡ª ¡°¡ªI¡­ understand.¡± I seized the opportunity to follow the knight¡¯s words. As a matter of fact, the monster in front of me showed no reaction at all to the knight, who was screaming his lungs out, wounded in the leg and unable to move. It was focused only on me, with its cat-like eyes squeezed tightly together. And so I assumed his words were true. ¡°But¡­ isn¡¯t this wall too massive to begin with?!¡± While letting out whiny words, I opened my hands, both of which were unarmed, not even holding the sword that I carried at my waist¡ª ¡º Sword: Creation ¡» Immediately after one chant, a particle of light emerged and consolidated in the air. A pair of daggers formed, finally resting in my hands. ¡ªIf I was planning to escape, I¡¯d have to blind it first. In the midst of the frustration, I had to be a level-headed person who would correctly recognize the most optimal course of action. Slaying him would be painstaking. However, if only to pierce through his defenses¡­ ¡°Make sure to¡ª eat this!!!¡± I ran, and after showing the behavior of trying to escape for just a moment¡ª I turned my body around and flipped in the air over again. Using even the momentum of my movement, I threw the dagger in my hand to the right, then to the left, in that order. And so the daggers flung in the air, aiming not too far from the eyes of the monster, but the hard sound of a clank made me realize that I had been blocked. I have no idea what it was. But just before piercing its eyeballs, the dagger was repelled by some kind of invisible barrier. ¡°¡­Things don¡¯t always work out your way, do they?¡± Its intent to kill became even stronger as a result of the trickery. Read latest Chapters at Wuxia World . Site Only The enemy had wings, and I didn¡¯t even know what kind of ability it had, let alone what kind of monster it was to begin with. As one would expect, this was definitely not a good situation, and I needed to retreat. I concluded so and smiled bitterly while praising the ¡°cursed town¡± as it was. ¡ª¡ª ¡ª¡ª Chapter 27 Star-Slaying Swordsman Chapter 27 ¡°UGH!!! Those wings are getting on my nerves!!!¡± I continued to run, sometimes hiding in already crumbling buildings, wondering how I could deal with the fact that projectiles were ineffective against my enemy. And in the end, the only choice I could think of was to directly slash it, but as long as that monster was flying around freely using its wings, in all probability even if I fired a strike with all my heart and soul, it wouldn¡¯t reach the enemy. If only judging things based on risk-reward, I couldn¡¯t use the ¡°Star Slaying¡± technique, as it was extremely taxing on the body. No matter how good my attack was, if it didn¡¯t hit, it was meaningless. ¡°¡­It breathes fire, flies around, and destroys everything as they please¡­ If this monster isn¡¯t troublesome, I don¡¯t know anymore¡­!!!¡± As I continued running to lure the monster away from the entrance of the town, the things that I needed to consider about the enemy who had set its eyes on me were gradually becoming more clear. First, it has wings. Not only was the monster highly mobile, but since it could fly above the ground, there were almost no places to hide inside Minaura¡ª a place lined with abandoned buildings with wrecked ceilings. And above all, it breathes fire. Unleashing flames from its mouth. Once it decided to go forward, it would just keep going straight ahead, not caring about all the buildings it could potentially slam against. Therefore, I tried to escape to a place surrounded by ruins, but the monster destroyed all the buildings it encountered just to chase after me. It was out of control. ¡°¡­If I want to defeat it quickly, I have to do something to reduce its mobility¡­¡± I muttered to myself as I looked at the monster, that monster, flying around freely. But no solution came to mind. If only I could use magic like Siva could¡­ I thought about such a thing for a moment, but it went without saying that begging for something I didn¡¯t have was not an option right here and now. Therefore, I shook my head and let out the breath I had been holding in my lungs. ¡°I¡¯m not the smartest guy in the world, unfortunately.¡± After a few minutes of running, I stomped my feet and decided that I had had enough. So I turned again to face the monster that was closing in behind me. ¡°My head will break if I try to think about a difficult strategy, so¡ª¡± The only way to deal with the monster was to face it head-on and cut it down. I roared with dismay at my own abilities. ¡°¡ªI don¡¯t know why you¡¯re after magicians, nor why you¡¯re after me, but I¡¯ll fight you as you wish. I will¡­ make you my nourishment to help me become a Star Slayer¡ª!!!¡± To eat or to be eaten. I only had two choices, and so, I picked mine. Come¡ª Go ahead and come at me, stupidly and honestly. Reconsidering the monster without its wings, the only chance I would have of hitting it directly would probably be the first time it charged at me, vulnerable. The corner of my mouth turned up in delight as I pulled out the rugged sword at my waist with my right hand. And next, I aimed the tip of the sword at the ground once, and then timed it right. ¡°¡ª¡ª!!!¡± A wordless scream. A scream so loud that I feared my eardrums might be ruptured. Perhaps I could say the monster was intimidated, as he got angry with my foolish and honest manner of confrontation. But if it made its blood boil, it was fortuitous. It was the best development I could¡¯ve asked for. I thought of the ¡°Star Slaying¡± technique. And remembered that every time I used it, my whole arm would break as it couldn¡¯t withstand the force of the strike. ¡°Haaah¡ª¡ª¡± *** *** I took a deep breath. Although I was too absorbed during the ogre¡¯s incident to notice it, the power of this technique depended on the magic power that was put into it. Moreover, my magic, ¡°Sword: Creation,¡± was so effective at conducting magic power that one might think it was only for the purpose of performing the Star Slaying technique. Therefore, one could only imagine how powerful it was. Soon after, I shifted the tip that was pointed at the earth and re-pointed it towards the sky. Although less powerful, I still poured magic power into the sword, being careful not to break my arm. ¡°My hands, feet, shred my enemy into a thousand pieces¡ª¡± Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks Without paying attention to the slight glow of my sword¡¯s blade, I focused on the monster that was closing the gap between us at a frightening speed, stomping down on the earth with a powerful thud. At the same time it extended its claws towards me, I drew a lone moon with the sword in my hand. With its accompanying brilliance, it shimmered in the night sky, as if it were a¡­ ¡º ¡ªShooting Star ¡» As I swung, a slash-like blow was unleashed from the crescent moon trajectory I drew in the air in front of my very eyes, which ferociously bared its fangs at the monster, piercing it hard to the ground. Now that monster had surely suffered a fatal wound¡­!! I shuddered with glee. A splendid strike that was born from the insult of the thought of only helplessly running away. Although the attack was a step-down from the real technique, I was confident that a fatal wound was still unavoidable upon taking it directly. But just as I was convinced that I had won, the other claw came at me with a tornado blast, with its speed being several times faster than the previous one. It was a miracle that I could even see it. ¡°You¡¯ve got to be kidding me¡ª!!!¡± I reflexively tried to defend myself with my sword by swinging it down as a shield, but I couldn¡¯t make it in time for a few tenths of a second. And immediately after, my left arm writhed miserably. The oncoming claws tore through my skin and reached my bones. On top of that, the blow was delivered with frightening force, easily hurling my small body to the right. There was no time to even scream out in pain. Throw away your common sense. ¡­I thought I understood Siva¡¯s words properly, but it seemed I was too naive to recognize them. My body bounced repeatedly on the ground like a thrown ball, not seeming to stop even though my feet were already scraping against the ground. All this was the result of a monster taking my ¡°Shooting Star¡± head-on, without even having the time to react to it. Even though about a third of the right half of its body has been shattered by the attack, it doesn¡¯t cower in pain, but immediately counterattacked with such composure. ¡­It was so far out of the ordinary, let alone common sense. ¡°Ah¡ª Ggh!¡± Struck in the chest, my body slammed into the distorted trunk of a tree, and I finally came to an abrupt stillness. ¡°Th¡­at monster¡­ really got me bad¡­!¡± It should have been finished off with a series of blows and onslaughts. Even if it took some strain on my arms, I could¡¯ve just kept on making the monster eat consecutive ¡°Shooting Star¡± attacks, without even giving it a moment¡¯s pause. But, what happened hereafter¡­ I thought that if I was going to fight against the leader of the monsters that Siva mentioned, I would have to be careful, but the present me couldn¡¯t afford to do just that. I felt a sharp pain coming from my left arm, which was beginning to bleed and turn red. It was probably shattered. I couldn¡¯t move it as I intended to. But I couldn¡¯t just remain standing still because of the pain. I needed to keep myself together first¡ª ¡°A¡­re you¡­ kidding me¡­?!¡± Just after I thought so, a familiar shadow covered me once again. It was coming toward me, accompanied by the stench of iron rust and lumps of meat. Following my instinct, I threw myself to the side. And soon after, I felt a heat that burned my skin. Before I realized that the monster blew fire, I recreated my sword, which I had let go of when I was blown away by its claw. I couldn¡¯t afford to be injured any further. I decided so, blaming myself for what happened a few dozen seconds ago. Once again, I needed to perform another ¡°Shooting Star.¡± Or so the monster saw me intending to do so, as it got up from the bloody, red puddle on the ground and opened its beak-like mouth with a snap, and headed to the sky. ¡°PIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII¡­!¡± The monster let out a strange, high-pitched cry. ¡°¡­Come on now¡­¡± Read latest Chapters at Wuxia World . Site Only I recognized that very behavior, and hence, my hands stopped. ¡­Strictly speaking, I was aware of that action just now, similar to the other monsters I had fought in the past. And it was the common habit of monsters¡­ to seek help from other monsters when in a bind. ¡ª¡ª ¡ª¡ª Chapter 28 Chapter 28 ¡°To be scared is to be a swordsman¡ª¡± On the verge of death, I was here thinking that I¡¯d won. I was convinced that this was definitely a competition, but, without a doubt, that monster was still able to deliver a serious blow to me despite being in that mortally wounded state. And the monster did so successfully, crushing my left arm until immobile, putting me in a state of utter fear. It sure was one hell of a monster. ¡°¡­I¡¯m rather scared if I say so myself¡­¡± I regained my position and stood up, letting out the emotions I had been holding in my chest. I was well aware that I outranked the monster, which was making high-pitched, strange noises and calling out for help. I probably wasn¡¯t going to win. But somewhere in my mind, I thought¡­ As long as I could hit the target with my technique, I would never lose. ¡­That pride of mine paid off. Its body was mutilated, and I inflicted a fatal wound. So that monster was supposed to not pursue me any longer. But who the hell came up with such logic and theory? The answer was simple. No one did. It was just a one-sided prejudice that I assumed was completely natural. ¡°Damn you.¡± I spit out the venom and cleared my mind once and for all. Then I let my thoughts run wild. ¡ªWhat should I do from here? I began to ask myself. The monsters of Minaura would probably come flooding here soon enough. My capabilities as an individual were not high, and in addition, it was definitely impossible for me to fight against many alone in this situation. I would be overwhelmed by their sheer numbers, and I would probably end up dead. And so my instincts began to go off, telling me to run away. It was already beyond my current control, and a buzzing sound forbade me with the pain that was traveling down my left arm. ¡°¡­Shut up.¡± I responded to a cry that couldn¡¯t be silenced. Shut up for once, noise. And by convincing myself of this, I was finally able to turn my back with the appeal of my instincts. The monsters were rushing in. Ah¡­ This was terrible. I was filled with frustration, thinking about where in Minaura could I escape even if I wanted to? ¡­There was probably no place for me to go. That was why the answer was a given. I was going to reduce the threats locked on to me now, even if I ended up just killing one of them. In other words¡ª Slash my way through them!!! And so I readied myself. ¡°The only fundamental solution I see is to learn from the pain because that¡¯s always what the more experienced people before me say. That¡¯s why you must decide to truly abandon your common sense. So even though you cut off one of their wings, you still have to assume that they still can fly.¡± Those were the Star Slayer¡¯s words. And finally, my resolve was set. Two years had already passed since I fought the ogre. I had learned to use magic. I gained experience, and I gained knowledge. My spirit had grown much more than it was then. But¡ª I hadn¡¯t changed¡­ Nothing had changed since then. I was still the same, old, weak me. And it would turn my perception of that reality into an unwavering one. That¡¯s why I¡­ ¡°Regardless of whether I¡¯m wounded or not, it doesn¡¯t matter. You¡¯re strong, so allow me to take you by surprise, head-on, fair and square¡ª!!!¡± It was the monster¡¯s fault for being strong. So, I contorted my lips in a grandiose manner while spewing out a selfish tirade about how I wouldn¡¯t accept any of its complaints later. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ going to cut off that mouth of yours for the time being!!!¡± I stomped on the ground, kicking up a clod of earth backward. Then¡ª I began to close our distance. I looked at my limp left arm for a moment and pushed myself further to finish this battle quickly in order to tend to the bleeding. Hurry up, hurry up, hurry up. Those two words rushed me. I reminded myself that time was running out. And then¡­ ¡°¡ªFirst of all, shut the hell up, you.¡± *** [Translator ¨C Niel ] [Proofreader ¨C DVN-L ] *** My distance from the monster, which continued to make high-pitched strange noises unceasingly, turned to zero in a moment¡¯s time. As it was, I moved while jumping over its body, and soon after, I reached its head. Accompanied by a chilling voice that reverberated in the pit of the monster¡¯s stomach, I leaned forward while kicking him with a thud, then swung my sword downwards. And at the same time, I delivered my incantation. ¡º Sword: Creation ¡» My left arm couldn¡¯t even muster enough force to use it, but despite this, I activated the magic and made sure that I already had a sword in my right hand. My magic, ¡°Sword: Creation¡± was an ability to create a sword around myself. So basically, the only use for it was to turn it into my personal weapon. Unlike Siva, I couldn¡¯t create a sword at will and turn it into a means of attack, but even so, there were many ways to use it. Particles of light that reacted to my words were born, began to consolidate, and manifested themselves near the back of my right foot. ¡°My magic can also be used this way.¡± I thickened the shaft of the sword I created so that it would be easier for me to kick. Then¡ª I leaped into the air, noticing that I was about to slash its head, the monster finally reacted to me by finally stopping its call for help. ¡°Pierce through!¡± Instead of swinging down the sword in my hand, I kicked it relentlessly, and it began to fly towards the monster at a speed reminiscent of a meteor. ¡°¡ª¡ª?!?!¡± A wordless scream resounded. Next came a follow-up blow released by the monster, with its huge body writhing in pain, serving as its defensive mechanism after taking my attack by surprise. There was no way for me to avoid it as I ran up the monster¡¯s massive body and threw myself into the air. It¡¯s definitely a finishing blow for me, however¡­ The future that I was struck down in a vicious manner, and my body being mercilessly flung away¡­ ¡°I¡¯m not going to spare you any longer.¡± ¡­didn¡¯t come into reality. The reason being, while I threw myself into the air, I jumped back to escape further up into the sky. ¡°I can¡¯t fly like you, but I didn¡¯t say I couldn¡¯t fight midair.¡± Particles of light beneath my feet came to life and formed a sword with an extraordinarily wide blade, which I then kicked to boost myself up. Create a sword. Use it as a foothold. Kick it to gain movement and boost myself up. Repeat. And for the first time since I came here¡ª I finally looked down at the monster. Because of the good view, I could see what seemed to be many monsters coming from the surrounding area. ¡­I couldn¡¯t even feel any sign of them until just now, which was too soon, to say the least. I would¡¯ve overloaded them with complaints, if I could, and told them to go fuck themselves. ¡­But I didn¡¯t have the time for that. ¡°I¡­ see¡­¡± At that moment, the monster¡¯s jaw opened with a snap. Its sharp fangs, neatly lined up, revealed themselves. An unintentional cry escaped me. A reddish gas-like substance was beginning to gather in the monster¡¯s mouth. I even heard an unfamiliar scraping sound, and perhaps¡ª it was the sign of flames being released. But it didn¡¯t matter. Slay, slay, slay, slay, slay. Like a curse, the word repeated itself in my heart. Whatever came my way, slay it, it said. And as if obeying the words, I clenched the hilt of my sword even tighter, silencing even its creaking sound. ¡°Great¡­!!! Let¡¯s play then, monster!!!¡± I raised my voice. I surrendered myself to the elation that took over my body and shouted wildly. If I could slay the monster in front of me as the flames were unleashed, I¡¯d win. If I got blown away by its flames, I¡¯d lose. It was that simple. My lips twisted with joy like my cheeks had been split open as I looked at my belligerent enemy who was preparing itself to intercept me rather than to evade and flee. Then, I posed to swing my sword. ¡°Slash through¡ª¡± Red flashes of light mixed with my vision, and the heat that filled the area burned my skin like roasted meat. All I could do was create a sword, swing it down, and slash through it. Therefore, I shall tear through any and all obstacles that stand in my way, along with the flames, without exception, and end it once and for all! Unleash your flames with all you¡¯ve got!!! ¡º ¡ªSHOOTING STAAAR!!! ¡» ¡ª¡ª Chapter 29 Crossing paths, flames were unleashed with a deafening roar, colliding with the ¡°Shooting Star¡± that I had just swung down. Crimson-red torrents relentlessly gushed out at me, preventing me from fully swinging down my sword. ¡°Y¡­ou..!!!¡± The difference in our raw strength was very clear. Before I knew it, I was being pushed back. But even so, I wouldn¡¯t lose. I¡¯ll send you to hell. With flame or no flame, if you get it in my way, I¡¯ll smash you to bits. As if to yell these feelings of mine, I put more strength into my right arm. And the next moment, I heard a scream and the sound of creaking bones. But¡­ I didn¡¯t care, so I shook my head and let out a scream. ¡°RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!¡± As if responding to my spirited cry, my arm began to move forward. The equilibrium showed signs of collapsing as I slashed through the flames that surged straight at me. I was mistaken in the first place. How could I fight against a superior opponent while thinking about the consequences my body would take in the future? I didn¡¯t have the time to think about what comes after. ¡ªNo matter how you looked at it, I was underestimating the monster I was fighting with at the moment. After chastising myself, I cut off all the leeway I could afford. Then, I started to push back with all the vigor I could muster. ¡°Fall¡­ down!!!¡± Despite hearing the sound of my weapon cracking, I put all my strength into the sword and swung it into the air, cutting through even the torrent of flames that was released. A dreamlike scene was drawn in the air. There laid a trajectory of light cutting through the torrent of flames, just like a ¡°starburst.¡± As soon as I swung down, the flames scattered in all directions at the same time. The monster¡¯s blood spurted out with such force that it turned the area red, creating a horrific scene. ¡°I¡­ didn¡¯t underestimate you this time¡­!!!¡± The fact that I swung through the air caused my body to fall down. And unable to regain my position, I hit the ground. ¡°¡­Ouch¡ª!¡± Soon after, my body was slammed into the corpse of the monster I had just slain. Although it served as a good cushion, I fell from a considerable height. In addition, due to the injury of my left arm, the impact caused an extraordinary amount of pain throughout my body. ¡°¡­Ha¡ª Ah¡­hahaha¡­ I thought I was going to die¡­¡± The pain from the light burn on my right hand gradually seeped into my body, followed by being soaked by the cold sweat that filled my back. I then opened my eyelids. Against just one mutant monster, this was what happened. The actual time the battle took was probably only a few minutes, but even so, I felt much more exhausted than if I had been working for several hours straight. ¡°What¡¯s up¡­ with that monster¡­?¡± I let go of the cracked, rugged sword and used my right hand to raise my body, which had been thrown to the ground. As I had just confirmed in the sky, other monsters were beginning to flock to this place because of that monster¡¯s call for help. Under normal circumstances, I would have run away at once, but unfortunately, most of my physical strength had been consumed, and I didn¡¯t think I could escape even in the unlikely event that I tried to. All I could do was laugh and think about how that monster really got me. And at the same moment¡­ Clap, clap, clap. I heard such clapping sounds at equal intervals. The sound was noticeably loud in the quieter distance, as it echoed throughout the place. ¡°Defeating that monster all by yourself, you¡¯re pretty amazing. I thought I¡¯d have to wait for Viera¡­ No, Viera-chan to come back, but as it turned out, I¡¯ve been blessed with an unexpected stroke of luck.¡± A high-pitched voice, one that could only belong to a woman. Although I could not confirm her facial expression, I knew without thinking that the owner of that voice was in a good mood from the sound of her voice that shook my eardrums. *** [Translator ¨C Niel ] [Proofreader ¨C DVN-L ] *** I wondered where the voice came from. And as I turned around, I saw a woman staring at me from the shade of the trees, which now had been heavily torn. ¡°Oh, sorry for my late introduction. I¡¯m Fiole Islebark¡­ the lord of this town, in case you¡¯re wondering.¡± She said with a blossoming smile. Her long hair resembled silver threads, flowing in the breeze, with her delicate features elegantly composed. Their atmospheres were such opposites that I couldn¡¯t recognize her at a glance, but I realized everything as she stated her name to me. Islebark. The same family name as the noblewoman¡ª Viera Islebark, the ¡°Warrior Princess,¡± who came to my village. ¡°I would love to talk to you about all kinds of things, but unfortunately I¡¯m afraid now is not the time to do so.¡± Well, understanding the current situation, now was really not the time. The woman who identified herself as Fiole looked around to see any signs of monsters. There weren¡¯t any near us yet, but the earth was already starting to make a faint rumbling sound. They¡¯d soon be here, I guessed. If we¡¯re going to escape, we have to do it quickly. ¡°Before we do anything, I have a suggestion¡­ Can you give me that monster over there?¡± Fiole pointed her finger at the remains of the monster I had just torn to shreds. For that reason, a question mark appeared on my face, as I didn¡¯t understand the meaning behind her words. ¡°I know that dead monster bodies are already worth money. If it¡¯s a mutant monster corpse, then, its rarity and price will be immeasurable. Oh, yeah¡­ I would understand more than enough why you would be hesitant to give me an immediate answer, but you can¡¯t compare human life to a monster¡¯s can you?¡± ¡°¡­I don¡¯t understand what you mean.¡± ¡°What I¡¯m saying is, you give me that corpse, and I¡¯ll help you. Your fighting skills are more than worth it, and I¡¯d regret leaving you to die here thinking of what you could do in the future.¡± This is an honor, you know? Fiole then sniffed as she said this. The more I racked my brain thinking that her cheerful attitude didn¡¯t resemble the other Islebark I knew, the more I fell into the illusion of thinking that they were somewhat similar. ¡­However, even if she were to offer to help, I had no idea what her intentions were for wanting a corpse that had already died out. Therefore, I was unable to respond immediately. It wasn¡¯t a problem for me, but I was caught off guard by the insanity of her wanting a dead body. ¡°¡­You¡¯re a magician yourself, too, but you get caught up with the weirdest things.¡± She let out a sigh. ¡°In this world, there exists a mysterious power called¡º magic ¡», and basically, it is said that a person¡¯s strong desire becomes magic and manifests itself.¡± For example, if one wanted to create a sword, they¡¯d have the ability to create one. If one had a strong desire to cure and help, they¡¯d have the ability to heal other people. I had already heard this from Lilea and the other adventurers, so I was satisfied with their words. Then, she thought, if she informed me this much, I would understand. And so Fiole continued, using her eyes to say more than she could. ¡°The magic that I have is a little strange. This is not something I can really tell people about, but¡­ my ability is¡ª¡ºCorpse Puppet: Marionette¡» There are some restrictions and limitations, but my magic has the ability to force a dead target to come back to life and manipulate it at will.¡± What she said. ¡­I pondered why she said that it was a waste to leave me here to die because of my ability, given that we had never met before. Such a question suddenly came to mind. I pondered if it would be even more convenient for her to manipulate my dead body. ¡°¡­Like I told you, my magic has a limit. For some reason, I can¡¯t seem to manipulate magicians like you and me using my magic,¡ºMarionette¡»¡± ¡­Fiole, reading my mind, said so in dismay. ¡°I want to keep as many magicians who might be of use to Minaura alive. Do you understand now?¡± The reason was probably to have a better chance of defeating the head of the monsters lurking around this town, as Siva had said. In any case, we were still in a desperate crisis if I was unable to regain my strength. If giving her one corpse would be my saving grace¡­ ¡°Alright.¡± There could be no reply but an affirmative one. ¡°I love honest people. Leave the rest to your sister, then.¡± With that, she walked up to the corpse of the monster with a big smile on her face. She ignored the fact that the earth was shaking louder and louder by the minute. As if to not let the noise disrupt her normal routine, slowly and serenely, she turned her palm towards the monster¡ª and said a few words. ¡°It¡¯s time to wake up¡ª¡ºCorpse Puppet: Marionette¡»¡± Chapter 30 Twitch¡ª As soon as the words were uttered, the corpse of the monster I had just slain, which was supposed to be dead, trembled ever slightly. Soon after, from the section that should have been cut in half, something like long and thin threads burst out all at once¡­ stitching the said part back together. In the blink of an eye, the stinking mess of the corpse was soon transformed into its original form. ¡°Why are you so surprised about my magic? Haven¡¯t you heard that puppets and strings are inseparable?¡± ¡­It¡¯s often said that there¡¯s a world of difference between hearing and actually seeing. The magic of creating a sword out of nothing alone was already quite impressive, but the astonishment at what was happening in front of my eyes right now surpassed my ability by miles. ¡°Now then, you will be ¡®Pii-chan¡¯ from now on.¡± Not to mention Fiole¡¯s bad naming sense, she pointed her finger at what used to be a monster, and decided to call it ¡®Pii-chan¡¯. The reason was probably that it made the same noise befitting of a chirp, in addition to its big, googly eyes. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ you are, uh¡­¡± ¡°Julius.¡± ¡°Yeah, Julius-kun then! We can¡¯t take on a horde of monsters by ourselves, so we have to get out of here. Can you use that right hand properly¡­?¡± I wondered why she asked such a question, but I cast it aside and tried to move my hand with a grunt. There was some numbness to it, but still within the range of being usable enough. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t you look relatively healthy? From the looks of it, it seems like I feared for nothing.¡± Before I could say that my arm was fine, Fiole, who was observing my actions, made a judgment on her own. Quick as a flash, she then jumped onto the body of the monster with great ease, seeing that it had already been repaired. ¡°Hey! We don¡¯t have time, so hurry up!¡± I did just as she told and jumped on board, following her lead. The bridle made of many layers of bundled threads on the monster¡¯s back explained why she asked me if I could use my hands. In essence, Fiole wanted to know if I could grab onto the reins. ¡°Did you get a good grip?¡± ¡°I sure did¡­ Oh, I mean¡ª I managed to get a hold, ma¡¯am.¡± I was late to realize it, but she identified herself as Fiole Islebark. So in other words¡ª she¡¯s a noblewoman, an aristocrat. ¡°I don¡¯t particularly care about honorifics. It¡¯s not like those will do you any good here in Minaura.¡± She didn¡¯t like formalities to begin with, she said. Right after that note, as if to make a command, she uttered one word that the puppet monster obeyed: ¡°Fly.¡± ¡°Hold on tight, now!! You could get shaken off for all I know!!¡± After the monster started flapping its wings, its body was immediately taken away with a loud fwoosh. ¡°Are you kidding me¡ª?!¡± We suddenly started flying ninety degrees vertically. The momentum of the movement placed an unexpected burden on my hand, causing it to throb and ache. But if I let go, I¡¯d surely fall. I didn¡¯t even have the time to whine. ¡°I know I said we were going to run away, but my motto is to kill the monsters when I can, you know?¡± A complete vertical ascent for more than a dozen seconds. Fiole screamed in the air, not letting the wind get the better of her, and as soon as she did, another command followed suit: ¡°Descent!!!¡± Shortly after, the monster somersaulted around in the sky, helping us fall to near the ground this time. From out of nowhere, a familiar, distinctive sound shook my eardrums. I guessed we were just in time, even though I couldn¡¯t believe it when I heard it. The ground was already filled with monsters, and their number was only increasing. The hairs on my body stand up on end at the sight of them churning. ¡°Come on Pii-chan, do it¡ª¡± The monster¡¯s maw soon opened with a snap, obeying her words. And the temperature of the surroundings rose moment by moment. *** [Translator ¨C Niel ] [Proofreader ¨C DVN-L ] Join our discord for updates on releases! https://dsc.gg/reapercomics *** I had heard of such magic, but I didn¡¯t think her¡ºCorpse Puppet: Marionette¡»could do such a thing. I couldn¡¯t help but just look in astonishment. And so it came¡ª ¡º Fireblaze¡ª ¡» ¡ªA torrent of flames. A rush of crimson-red fire spread across my entire field of vision. Screams were soon heard, but they immediately faded away with the unpleasant smell of burning flesh. ¡­I was amazed that I was able to win against this thing. The great firepower spread out in front of me, triggering a feeling of deep, negative emotion in my heart. Before long, after burning as much as it could for a few seconds, we changed direction for the second time. Although she didn¡¯t hunt all of them down, she was seemingly satisfied that she had killed most of them without being bothered by the fact that some of them lived. ¡°What brought you to Minaura by the way, Julius?¡± With her back turned, Fiole asked. ¡°I thought I could be strong, so I came here.¡± There was no reason for me to hesitate, so I answered the question immediately. ¡°I thought that this place could serve as a good wall for me to overcome. I thought that there was plenty of food here to push me to a higher level.¡± The sole reason why I came to Minaura, I told her. I thought that I should honestly answer at least that question since she saved my life, even with the possibility of her laughing at me as if I were crazy for doing so. ¡­No, even if that ended up not being the case, I should still be laughed at. I was in such a mess against just one mutant monster, and I didn¡¯t know what could¡¯ve happened to me without Fiole. ¡­And even with that being said, ¡°Hmm~? You said the same thing¡­ How interesting.¡± Instead of laughing at me hysterically, she replied in a sense as if someone else had said the same thing, making me feel a little caught off-guard by it. ¡°I think it¡¯s good to be greedy for strength, Julius. You are also correct, if you are looking to be strong, Minaura is the perfect place for you. This town is filled with strong monsters, and you can fight them to the death as many times as you want. For beings like you, it¡¯s a heavenly place.¡± The words she uttered had a certain persuasive power to them, justifying the reason why she was the lord of this town, Minaura. ¡°¡­In fact, someone that is probably the same kind of person as you are, told me just that, Julius. Her name is Viera, my younger sister.¡± She was probably talking about Viera Islebark. I was a little surprised that she was hiding such heat behind that cold demeanor. At the same time¡ª ¡°Well, let¡¯s put that aside for now. I have a proposal for a fighting maniac like you, Julius.¡± I wished for power. I wanted to slay the stars, and I wanted to make the technique that only existed in my memory known to the world. A memory from a certain man¡¯s lifetime. That was all that I was hoping to achieve, so I felt a little bit of frustration being called a fighting maniac, and thus, I raised my eyebrows slightly. ¡°Has this made you want to fight side by side with us?¡± My grim expression turned even more grim the moment I heard those words. ¡­I wondered what on earth she meant by those words. ¡°I saved you because I thought you were worth keeping alive, Julius. I thought that if I let you survive here, you would still kill the monsters, which is, undeniably, to our benefit.¡± As the lord of Minaura, she said, she welcomed anyone who was willing to fight to eradicate the monsters that were spreading all over the place. ¡°I just thought that you might be more intriguing given that you and Viera-chan are the same kind of person¡­ That technique of yours¡ª ¡®Shooting Star¡¯ was it? With an attack as powerful as that one, you¡¯d be perfect.¡± She doesn¡¯t want to die, and she doesn¡¯t want Viera to die either, she added. Above all, they wanted to increase their forces as much as possible. ¡°¡ª¡¯Jabberwock¡¯¡± She uttered a name. ¡°That is the name of the head of the monsters that appeared in Minaura this time, and it seems to be more troublesome than ever. It¡¯s really going to be a bit tricky from here on out, you know?¡± Though I couldn¡¯t see her expression, I could somehow guess what she was thinking. ¡°That¡¯s why I have a favor to ask you, in recognition of your skill in defeating Pii-chan by yourself. Julius-kun, would you join us and lend us your hand in defeating the Jabberwock?¡± Chapter 31 Star-Slaying Swordsman Chapter 31 * * * * * ¡°Not even a little scream from you, huh? It¡¯s quite the feat to be able to ignore that certain amount of pain at your age.¡± A thin man wearing glasses and a sadistic smile declared just so as he wrapped a bandage around my left arm. I chose to accept Fiole¡¯s offer, and came to a certain place with Fiole riding the monster she named, Pii-chan. It was a place with a large underground passageway. She then led me at the end of the passage, and I found a few people gathered upon arriving there. One of them was the healer that tended my broken arm, which turned out to be a terrible experience¡ª Abald. ¡°My magical ability is in the healing category, but it¡¯s more of a restoring magic than a curing one.¡± ¡­What he said. His magic was, to say the least, the magic to undo things to restore. If a bone was broken, it will be unbroken. If you¡¯ve been injured, he¡¯ll put you back in your non-injured state. That was Abald¡¯s ability, the man who referred to himself as Fiole¡¯s follower. ¡­At first glance, it seemed to be a very convenient ability, but in actuality, his magic was quite harsh on the intended target. ¡°The pain from healing your broken bone should¡¯ve been unimaginable, was it? Your right arm was fractured, too, to say the least.¡± A healing magic that forces back the injury done to the person. If a bone was broken, he¡¯d simply and forcefully put it back together¡ª however, the drawback of using such magic was that it causes tremendous pain in proportion to the severity of the injury to the person. On the opposite side, its advantage was that it heals very quickly, but it¡¯d hurt to the point where I think that if performed poorly, the target may die of shock from the pain. ¡°Well, there is no need to thank me. Rather, I should be the one thanking you for accepting Milady¡¯s request.¡± ¡°¡­I see.¡± I replied to Abald¡¯s words in a rather displeased tone, the reason being that he seemed to be enjoying watching me trying to endure the pain under his healing magic. I was convinced that this guy probably had a rotten personality, but after having my injuries treated by him, I really couldn¡¯t be rude. So for a variety of reasons, I settled on a response, albeit grumpy. ¡°Yes. If things were the same as the previous years, there wouldn¡¯t be any problem, but this year, there is just not enough manpower available.¡± I guess that was how troublesome the head of the monsters they are dealing with was. ¡°But are you sure about your decision?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°This subjugation thing. I¡¯m sure I don¡¯t need to tell you that even Minaura¡¯s bad reputation is known throughout the kingdom, but there¡¯s a high chance that you¡¯ll die, you know?¡± ¡°¡­I already arrived here, so that question is already too late.¡± Those who set foot in Minaura when it¡¯s overflowed with monsters would normally be either irredeemable fighting idiots, crazy people with a demented sense of justice, or even knights of the kingdom who had no choice but to come under orders. As for me, I was no knight, let alone having the slightest sense of justice. I had never had such a noble idea in my mind, such as saving people who were suffering from the monsters. And in that case, my answer was obvious. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure that no one came to Minaura, thought that they might die, and just returned home in the first place.¡± ¡°Hahahaha¡ª That¡¯s certainly true. I will take your word for it, then.¡± Saying so, Abald spread his hands in an exaggerated manner. ¡°This is the town of Minaura, a place that utilizes anyone that can be of help whatever their social status. We welcome you, once again. I am Abald, and I look forward to working with you.¡± Immediately after, he held out his left hand, probably meaning that he wanted to shake hands. He even deliberately chose the hand that had just been healed, more proof of how evil his nature was. With that in mind, I gripped his left hand tightly with the hand he just healed. ¡°OUCH¡ª?!¡± Sure, I owed him the gratitude for healing me, but this much payback was only appropriate for his rotten personality. After all, I had been wielding the sword for years, and my body might be that of a child, but I took pride in my strong grip. I turned my back to him, satisfied after making him taste his own bitter medicine. *** *** ¡°How is your arm?¡± ¡°It¡¯s doing just fine, as you can see.¡± I rotated my left arm in a circle. It didn¡¯t hurt even a little bit, so I guessed it was safe to assume that it was completely healed now. ¡°I see, I see. Well, Abald is twisted to the core, but I can vouch for his magic skills.¡± ¡­Don¡¯t sully my reputation like that, milady, Abald said. Upon hearing his voice from behind us, Fiole then yelped out in surprise and gave him an affirmative reply. ¡°And also have a look at this. This has our information of who can use what kind of magic and such. We can¡¯t be effective if we don¡¯t know what kind of people we have, right?¡± There laid bullet points of detailed information on a total of more than a dozen people currently present in this place. Viera Islebark, the only one who wasn¡¯t here, was also listed. I only read through her particular part first. She has the magic to create and manipulate ice at will. And, as a matter of course, her abilities as a magician were also written down. ¡°I¡¯ve also written down some information about you, Julius, so take a look at that as well. If I was wrong about certain information, tell someone here by the day after tomorrow, okay?¡± As if to say that she already told me the things that she wanted to tell, Fiole turned her back on me and waved her hand in the air. Perhaps she had some business to attend to. She also mentioned that she was the lord of this town, so no wonder why she was busy. ¡°¡­Information about me, huh?¡± I looked at the paper that was handed to me and saw that my name was properly written there, just as I¡¯d been told. As it was written, my ability was said to create swords, and that I was a one-hit-kill type person. The details about me were simple, but they were right on the mark. While I was reading through the other people¡¯s information, I suddenly wondered. Why the day after tomorrow¡­? ¡°¡­Because Viera-sama will be back here in Minaura the day after tomorrow.¡± Maybe he saw through my inner thoughts. Abald said, lightly waving his left hand, which I had clasped tightly with a powerful grip. ¡°As for the schedule, we will be joined by Viera-sama and commence defeating the Jabberwock, the head of the monsters here in this town. And since my ability can only do so much, I¡¯m just going to stay in the rear of the pack.¡± ¡°The day after tomorrow¡­¡± ¡°Is there a problem?¡± ¡°No¡­ there isn¡¯t. It¡¯s not a problem per se¡­¡± What came to my mind were the words that Viera Islebark said to me outside the village. ¡ªBefore the full moon. The day after tomorrow was far from a full moon, though not by a long shot. I wondered what was going on, but unfortunately, there¡¯s no one here who could clear that up for me. ¡­I should put that thought in the back of my mind for now, then. ¡°Oh. I forgot to mention that you are basically free to step outside, but please note to not go north from here.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± North. The direction was too pinpointed, and I wondered why. ¡°Quite simply, we do not want to provoke the Jabberwock as much as possible until the day after tomorrow. Such monsters are very sensitive, so it would be unwise to anger them in the absence of Viera-sama.¡± Abald laid out the perfectly reasonable logic, and with those words, I knew better to follow. Perhaps Fiole was on patrol to keep people out of the Jabberwock¡¯s area, which was the reason why she happened to run into me. In particular, I was a reckless brat who battles mutant monsters singlehandedly. If left on my own, there was a possibility that I might really head for the Jabberwock, and that was maybe the reason why she watched my situation from a distance until the very last minute, trying to determine the course of events. When I thought about it that way, it made sense in many ways. ¡°I understand.¡± I had a good conscience, and nine lives in stock for me to live. I didn¡¯t have a penchant for ingratitude, so I¡¯d just comply obediently here. With that in mind, I nodded my head in agreement with Abald¡¯s words. ¡°It¡¯s a relief that you are so understanding. Well then, we don¡¯t have much time left until the day after tomorrow, so let¡¯s wrap this up here¡ª¡± Just when Abald was about to say something¡­ ¡°¡ªT-Terrible news!!!¡± A loud voice filled with impatience suddenly roared through the air. The suddenness of the event caused all eyes in the place to turn to the source of the voice at once. They must have rushed in through the underground passage. Near the doorway, an unrecognizable man was breathing on his shoulders and shouted across the room. ¡°A stray magician went to the Jabberwock, screaming that he was going to kill it, and then went off on his own against our orders!!! The three of us, including me, the one on the watch, tried to stop him¡­ but that bastard¡­¡± When only one of the people who attempted to stop the offender was here, it went without saying. ¡°¡ªHey, could you describe him?¡± Fiole, who was just about to leave somewhere, stopped and asked the panicked man a question. ¡°¡­He¡¯s a magician with red hair¡­¡± When I heard those words, an image of a man flashed through my mind. ¡ª¡º The Gladiator ¡» Just like another red-head magician I knew¡ª Siva. ¡ª¡ª ¡ª¡ª Chapter 32 Star-Slaying Swordsman Chapter 32 ¡°¡­A redhead, huh? Okay, I¡¯ll go get that person, then. We really can¡¯t do anything yet without Viera-chan after all.¡± Soon after, Fiole, who had turned her back on us, faced us once again and looked at Abald. ¡°And just to make sure, I want a messenger that can most certainly fulfill the role, so you¡¯ll be coming with me, Abald.¡± ¡°¡­I would be more than happy to assist you.¡± Abald gave his immediate response to Fiole¡¯s remark, but for some reason, there was a strange silence in the middle of his statement. The reason why remained unknown to me. Perhaps it was because the reply Abald gave wasn¡¯t really his true intention. And perhaps it was because I had seen such a reaction from him that I didn¡¯t have a good feeling about what was about to happen. ¡°¡ªIf¡­¡± I found myself butting in their conversation. ¡°If by any chance that redhead ended up provoking the Jabberwork, what are you going to do?¡± Fiole seemed a bit surprised by my statement, but only for a moment. She then pointed to the paper she just handed to me, and told me to look at the bottommost line, the plan B. I looked as I was told, and there it stated that if the enemy started to move before Viera had returned¡­ ¡°¡­Stall for time¡­¡± ¡°And that¡¯s what I¡¯m going to do.¡± Fiole nodded in satisfaction as I read through the sentence that followed. ¡°My ability is the most effective when it comes to stalling for time after all. And besides, if I let any of you die, Viera will beat me up, you know? So I¡¯m the one going, and it can¡¯t be anyone else but me.¡± Hearing that, I felt, somehow, that I could see the kind of person Viera Islebark really was. She probably hated the idea of people dying, so she set a deadline to only before the full moon occurred. ¡­The fact that she, who was considered the foremost force on the battlefield, was away from Minaura posed a big question to me. But now thinking about it, it made sense to assume that it probably had something to do with that very reason. So basically, that¡¯s all there was to it. And at the same time, I realized it. The fact that Viera Islebark was really concerned and considerate about human lives such as mine. ¡°¡­I see.¡± ¡­I proclaimed that I¡¯d be a Star Slayer all the time, but the reality was that I was actually being minded in a way that I didn¡¯t know all along. Knowing what Viera actually thought was beyond me, but if I had to guess based on Fiole¡¯s statement, I¡¯d say that she was worried about me. Hence. ¡°I¡¯ll go with you, then.¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t you listening to what I just said?¡± Her tone of voice dropped. Her face was smiling, but her eyes weren¡¯t showing any signs of happiness at all. I was sure she was appalled, even angry to an extent. ¡°I was listening, so I¡¯m telling you my thoughts. And if you¡¯re going to buy time, you¡¯ll need more manpower more than anything.¡± In addition, the red-haired magician who went for the Jabberwock was probably Siva. Only he would face such a monster alone and use that opportunity to make a name for himself. ¡­That¡¯d be a bit unfair, wouldn¡¯t it? ¡°Besides, that red-haired magician is probably an acquaintance of mine. I have some knowledge of his magical abilities. If you¡¯re going to try and capture him, I think it would be better if I were there.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better if you just told us about him right here and now?¡± ¡°You know the kind of person I am, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°How about you repay me for saving your life?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want him to end up being our enemy, so I¡¯m asking you to bring me with you.¡± ¡°¡­We can¡¯t come to an agreement, then.¡± Neither of us was willing to give in the slightest. Therefore, this conversation was bound to never end. ¡°I am not going to defeat the Jabberwock by myself, much less be able to do so¡­ I told you that I¡¯m just going to stall for time, so why are you so adamant about going with me?¡± Fiole¡¯s eyes spoke louder than her mouth, as if to say that I didn¡¯t need to worry, because the opportunity for me to fight would surely come around later. And that was why she was unable to understand my feelings. ¡°¡­As you already know, I came to Minaura because I wanted to be strong. I wanted to overcome the walls that¡¯d stand in front of me, that¡¯s all.¡± After hearing the report about a red-haired magician who had selfishly broke through the guards¡¯ restraints and headed for the Jabberwock, I was awakened. It seemed that I had been very reserved just because I had to deal with a single mutant monster. ¡°Then it¡¯s all the more reason for you to¡ª¡± Before she could point out how I didn¡¯t need to go, I immediately cut off Fiole¡¯s words. ¡°¡ªOvercome such a wall that only leads to my death. And in that sense, it¡¯s meaningful.¡± Such maddening words were coming out of my mouth as if they were a natural part of my sane state of mind. ¡°In my eyes, you guys are strong. Very, very strong. Even when I first saw Viera, It came to me without even having to hold up my sword that she was a much superior swordsman than I was. But that¡¯s why it doesn¡¯t make any sense to me.¡± That¡¯s right. It doesn¡¯t make sense. Viera Islebark is going to be there, and alongside Fiole and her companions, they will defeat the Jabberwock. And, yes¡­ They would certainly be more than enough to do so, but¡­ I think that¡¯d be a little too halfhearted, and so I realized that fact. The only reason I accepted Fiole¡¯s offer was that I had to. My arm was broken, and no matter how hard I tried, I wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything on my own. And now that that very arm that caused me to give up had healed completely, I¡¯d already decided what to do. ¡°So please, take me with you.¡± ¡°¡­Frankly speaking, I know that I told you and Viera were similar, but I¡¯m not so sure now. You seemed similar, but you¡¯re nothing like her at all.¡± I figured so. I suppose that perhaps Viera¡¯s reason for longing for power was to keep people from dying. And for that very reason, she was trying to become stronger and stronger. I, on the other hand, was just a fool to the core who was longing to Slay the Stars without any room for such noble ideals as hers. No matter how much strength I sought, it would be meaningless if I died. I¡¯d just lose everything. And yet, I was willing to accept such thing and force myself to move forward. There couldn¡¯t be many of the same kind. ¡°¡­Then, can I ask you one thing? If you can convince me, I will take you as you wish.¡± The voices of those who were around the place were mixed with astonishment. However, Fiole didn¡¯t listen to any of them and just focused her attention on me. ¡°What do you aspire to be?¡± ¡°¡ªI want to be a ¡®Star Slayer.¡¯ The very same reason why I¡¯m living now is that I want to be strong, strong enough to Slay the Stars¡­¡± ¡°¡­For what reason do you want to Slay the Stars?¡± ¡°To prove that the¡ºStar Slaying¡»swordsmanship is the strongest, and to show to everyone, including those who lived in the past, that my longing was the truest of them all.¡± I proclaimed the reason why I was wielding my sword. ¡°¡­I see. Your magic is just very much like you. Good grief¡­ I thought you were an unexpected find, but you turned out to be a very bad time bomb.¡± Fiole let out a sigh and laughed bitterly with a pretense of resignation. ¡°I get it. If you insist that much, I won¡¯t stop you anymore. But I have just one condition, so will you listen to me one last time?¡± ¡°¡­What is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s simple. I know it¡¯s easier said than done¡ª but don¡¯t die if you can help it. If she sees a dead body lying around, Viera will be very sad.¡± It¡¯s not easy being a caring sister, she said, and she turned her back to me once again. ¡°We don¡¯t have much time left, so let¡¯s get going. Come on, Julius.¡± ¡ª¡ª ¡ª¡ª Chapter 33 Star-Slaying Swordsman Chapter 33 * * * * * ¡°If my assumption is right, that red-haired magician¡¯s name is Siva. His magical ability is to create swords, just like me. He calls his ¡®The Gladiator.¡¯¡± ¡°Siva, huh¡­¡± Fiole then shook her head in dismay, failing to recognize such a name, as well as the information that I had just given. After running a fair distance from the underground passageway we were just in, I was led by Fiole and rode a flying monster hiding in the thick trees, one that was significantly smaller than Pii-chan. Abald, who had been appointed as her messenger, was on the back of a different flying monster from Fiole and me. ¡­And apparently, she had brought quite a lot of monsters. ¡°Does the name Siva ring a bell to you, Abald¡ª?!¡± She shouted loudly so that Abald, who was following behind us on another monster that Fiole had cast her magic upon, could hear her. But he too could only shake his head. ¡°¡­I figured so. But then, I guess it¡¯s still a blessing in disguise. If he¡¯s a swordsman¡­ then there¡¯s a good chance that we can avoid the worst-case scenario.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Jabberwock¡¯s outer shell can¡¯t be penetrated by weapons, let alone physical attacks, and that¡¯s why we need Viera-chan here. Unless a rare occurrence happens, a swordsman can¡¯t really inflict damage on it.¡± Or so she asserted. We were riding on the back of a monster, so I couldn¡¯t see her reflection, but I was certain that she wasn¡¯t kidding. ¡°¡­It¡¯s just¡­¡± There was hope, as she had just implied. And yet, she was now trying to string together words as if she was about to give up hope. ¡°The fact that even three of my men couldn¡¯t stop him means that this red-haired magician is strong in his own right. So we couldn¡¯t really eliminate the worst-case scenario, but prepare for it if anything.¡± We were really in deep trouble. Saying so, Fiole let out a deep sigh. Soon after, sounds of destruction came from nowhere. Was something going berserk? The atmosphere started to tremble. ¡°No way¡­ Looks like we were late¡­¡± Jet-black objects were starting to get visible from afar. And those were¡­ weapons. Not only swords, but also spears, battle-axes, and even sickles, all of them with no consistency in shape. All of them, however, emerged from somewhere and rushed toward a certain spot. And then, there laid a humongous life form and swatted everything off with its tail-like thing. ¡°Abald!!!¡± ¡°¡­Yes, Milady?¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing we can do anymore. So just as we planned, we¡¯re going with Plan B. I¡¯ll start buying time, and you all can stay on the underground passage until Viera -chan comes back.¡± ¡°¡­Understood.¡± Plan B was to have Fiole Islebark stall for time as much as possible on her own. Then, the remaining members of the team would set up a perimeter around the underground passageway where we had just been. Their objective was to somehow keep the Jabberwork from getting outside of Minaura after all. ¡°We can¡¯t let a monster like that out of this town, so I¡¯m going to hold off as long as I can, but tell everyone not to be sloppy in their preparations.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Immediately after, the monster that Abald was riding reversed its course and went back the way they came. ¡°¡­Politics really is a pain in the ass. If it weren¡¯t for that, we would have defeated the Jabberwock long ago.¡± She said with a sigh. *** *** ¡°¡­What does that mean?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because of their national policy. The upper management wants to squeeze every last penny out of wherever they can get it. That¡¯s why we have to go around villages and recruit people during this time of the year just as monsters are being spawned the most in Minaura. If they agree, we won¡¯t raise their villages¡¯ taxes, but suppose that they refuse and the village does not comply, then we will raise their tax unconditionally. You saw the gatekeepers upon arriving here in Minaura, right? They¡¯re not my subordinates, but knights sent from above, so I can¡¯t even make false reports.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The words did not come out well right away, just as well as me not knowing the truth behind them. Nevertheless. the sound of her voice was tinged with fatigue. And I¡¯d also known Fiole quite well based on our conversations so far. So if you took all of this into account, it was hard to believe that she was lying. ¡°When one of my subordinates was on his way to recruit people a long time ago, he got into a bit of a scuffle and was heavily injured. If it had not been for a little trouble, he might even have died. So after that, Viera-chan insisted that she would be the one to do the job, but just this one time, I wish I stopped her.¡± It was too late to say anything now, she said so as she scratched her head. And so, I chimed in. ¡°¡­Why are you telling me this now?¡± ¡°Huh? Weren¡¯t you wondering why Viera-chan wasn¡¯t here or something¡­? It¡¯s completely drawn in your face, though.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°The Jabberwock, you see, is really not someone you can defeat while thinking about unnecessary things. So, if you want to ask me questions, I¡¯ll answer anything, just for now.¡± If it increases your chances of survival by even a few percent, it¡¯s a small price to pay, she said, as if it were a matter of course. ¡°¡ªNevermind that, we¡¯re already almost there.¡± We were surprisingly close, she joked. And finally, we¡¯d reached a distance where we could see everything. I was convinced after seeing the jet-black weapons from a distance, but even so, I couldn¡¯t be absolutely sure without seeing the magician in person. And when I did¡­ ¡°¡ªSIVA!!!¡± I shouted the name of the red-haired man, who was selfishly facing the Jabberwock, as loudly as I could. ¡°¡­Huh?!¡± He probably didn¡¯t expect to see a person riding on the back of a monster flying in the sky above him. And in fact, I shouted because his ability was about to target the monster that Fiole was riding. ¡°I¡¯m off now.¡± I immediately threw myself into the air after saying so. ¡°EH- Wait a¡ª EHHHH¡­?!¡± CAN¡¯T YOU SEE WHAT¡¯S HAPPENING DOWN THERE?! Or so I heard a shout, but it was too late. Besides, Fiole, whose ability was¡ºCorpse Puppet: Marionette,¡»would have no difficulty riding her monster, but in my case, unless I wielded a sword, I was just dead weight. A burden. I wouldn¡¯t be able to fight while riding a monster. So whether I wanted to see what was going on for myself or not, my decision was to throw myself into the air. However¡­ I acted too early and attracted its attention upon doing so. It was coming for me¡ª and so was its attack. It appeared that second to Siva, even I had been identified as a target for elimination by the giant lifeform known as the Jabberwock. But¡­ ¡°Ah, jeez!!! You¡¯re such a troublesome boy!!!¡± A voice uttering the words in a desperate manner shook my eardrums. But my incantation was already done before I could even think about creating a foothold using my ability,¡º Sword: Creation. ¡» ¡°I just wanted to stall for time!!! AHHHH, COME ON!!! Whatever!!! Get up¡ª¡º Corpse Puppet: Parade¡ª!!! ¡»¡± And soon the earth rose in all directions with all the monsters that Siva had defeated. Like sprouts from the ground, one corpse after another was born, filling my field of vision. Soon after, a red torrent was suddenly unleashed from nowhere, neatly deflecting the trajectory of the attack that was supposed to hit me. ¡°¡­Heh, I see. I knew someone was going to butt in, but I didn¡¯t expect it to be the ¡®Corpse Princess¡¯ of all people.¡± Siva, quite pleased with himself, said so with astonishment, while I was trying to make a sense of what he just said. The word ¡®Corpse Princess¡¯ was probably a reference to Fiole. Despite the casual comment spilled from the ground, Fiole quietly told Siva in a rather serious tone, ¡°Next time you call me that name, I¡¯ll kill you first.¡± Then using my magic to create a sword and utilize it as a foothold to kill my momentum¡ª I landed on my feet smoothly. ¡°I knew we would meet again somewhere, but we met sooner than expected, Julius.¡± ¡°¡­Isn¡¯t it unfair to keep this all to yourself?¡± ¡°Huh? Don¡¯t you know? In this kind of thing, it¡¯s always first come, first served.¡± ¡ª¡ª ¡ª¡ª Chapter 34 Star-Slaying Swordsman Chapter 34 ¡°¡­This is a huge spectacle, if I do say so myself. It¡¯s often said that Minaura is Fiole Islebark¡¯s garden after all. Two young sisters¡­ ruled over a desolate, barren land with zero inhabitants. They were known as the ¡°Corpse Princess¡± and the ¡°Warrior Princess¡± of the Islebark bloodline. ¡°You bury the corpses of the monsters in the earth and keep them as your pawns for this occasion. And I heard that the number of monsters you can control at the same time easily exceeds more than a hundred, but it seems that¡¯s not really a baseless exaggeration.¡± Saying this, Siva threw words of awe at the monsters that had emerged from the ground. But one problem struck my mind. For some reason, Siva, who was impressed by the scene spread out before him, did not show any signs or intention of attacking the giant life form in front of him¡ª the Jabberwock. ¡­No, I think he had all the desire to fight, seeing his jet-black sword magic, ¡®The Gladiator¡¯, floating around warily in the air. Seeing that he wasn¡¯t trying to take any action and was only on his guard, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if he was in a dire situation. ¡°I may have told you that the first who came would be the first served, but if you really don¡¯t plan on attacking that thing or anything, I will.¡± He¡¯ll snatch the kill away from us if we take too long, he said. However, there was no response to his words. I didn¡¯t hear any brash words coming from Fiole like telling him to shut up, let alone telling him anything. And contrary to my expectations, Siva was left in a pained silence. ¡°I¡¯ll take on the Jabberwock, then.¡± Immediately after. I interrupted them and said so. There must be something. Something that would make Siva hesitate about what he was doing right now. And that was precisely the reason why Siva was trying to give me some advice of some sort, but before I heard what it was, I already took my eyes off of him. Information was crucial. I, myself, considered it to be the ABCs of combat. But if I were to say so myself, the advantage of having the memories of Star Slaying was already enough, so therefore¡ª ¡°I don¡¯t care what stands my way. I will slay everything, so that I will be able to Slay the Stars.¡± A big mouth that didn¡¯t know its place. But if it uttered such words, then it was fine. ¡°¡­You have quite the big mouth for being such a small boy.¡± Siva laughed at me strangely. ¡°I¡¯m a Star Slayer, after all.¡± A fool¡¯s speech was always far from the ordinary, as he always insinuated that he was going to accomplish some unbelievable and unrealistic feat. So I convinced myself with a huge smile on my face. The unending thirst burns my heart to the core. The technique of the Star-Slaying swordsman that exists in my mind is undeniably the strongest. Without even a shred of doubt, I could say with utmost certainty that that very swordsman was first-rate, and recognized him as the greatest in the world. ¡ªAnd because I believed so, it must be so. There was no logic to it, but for some reason, I could just trust that feeling. ¡°Come to think of it, you really are.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± I know how strong and competent Siva is, right next to me. Fending for himself against bandits, dealing with the monsters that tried to escape Minaura, everything, I¡¯d seen it all. It was precisely because I¡¯d seen these things that I was able to say that my abilities were not superior to Siva¡¯s, and that was just an unshakable reality. Siva, who had determined that the enemy he was about to face was of a higher league than himself, was attempting to see how things were going. If things had been my case, I would¡¯ve already been laughed at for the recklessness I was about to do. But I was just going to ignore them, nevertheless. No matter the absolute stark differences, no matter the walls and obstacles that I needed to overcome¡ª my dream would cut through all the common sense and norms that this world decided and move forward. The man who was the original owner of such memories, which would always shine brilliantly in my mind, was carving out a path in this way, as he continued to reach out to his longing. And so, the answer was long already within me. ¡°So I¡ª¡± I found myself with a sensation as if my blood was boiling all over. At the same time, something came whispering to me. Slay, slay, slay, slay, slay. Hurry up and slay that giant thing before you, it said. Normally, I would have been skeptical about it, but I didn¡¯t question it in the slightest and pulled out the sword resting at my waist to comply with those very whispers. ¡°I¡¯m going to have a try on that giant monster in the meantime.¡± *** *** I kicked the somewhat eerily blackened clod of earth backward and began to close in. I let out one or two breaths as the slight pause in time occurred, and the view in my field of vision started to change over time. I was about to be drawn to Fiole¡¯s magic, ¡®Corpse Puppet: Parade,¡¯ but I restrained myself. Right at that moment, the Jabberwock was about to swing its tail in hostility¡ª not at me, but at the cause of the earlier attack that had interfered with it. And so an opening presented itself. Soon after I made the judgment, I put greater force into the hilt of my sword, not paying attention to the loud creaking sound it made. I smiled as if my cheeks were ripped open, knowing that I would not be able to completely avoid him due to his large size. The distance between me and the Jabberwock was already just a few dozen meters. And if I was to decide to strike him now, I judged that it was more than enough to reach. So I needed to unleash an attack to the top of its head, and without any hesitation: ¡º Shooting S¡ª ¡» The moment when I was about to unleash an attack with all my might, I was suddenly struck by a feeling of indescribable discomfort. A searing pain started to burn inside of my brain, and immediately afterward, for some reason, a feeling of intoxication overwhelmed my entire body. ¡°¡­Huh?¡± It caused me to lose my footing, and so, I retreated. After stumbling on my steps somehow trying to get back on my feet, my senses finally returned to normal. ¡ªWhat¡­ was that feeling just now¡­? In response to the earlier strange sensation, I silently pondered. However¡­ ¡°HEY JULIUS!!! DON¡¯T LOOK AWAY!!!¡± A sharp, head-splitting yell brought me back to my senses. I realized that the tail of the Jabberwock, which had changed its target to me, was now right in front of my face. ¡°Damn it¡­!!¡± Fortunately, my hand was already moving to use my sword as a guard when I heard Siva¡¯s voice. But still, we ended up colliding soon after. The unprecedented shock of the collision made me furrow my brows. And then, softly, my feet left the ground, and lightly, my body began to float up. ¡°TCH¡ª¡ª!!!¡± I looked at him for a moment intending to thank him, but Siva just clucked his tongue and held his hands up to the heavens. A number of floating jet-black weapons began to move in unison. And perhaps, it was to help me. But right now, it wasn¡¯t necessary. Saying so to myself, I then gripped the sword in my left hand, which I was using as a sort of shield, and held it with both my arms. ¡°KGH¡ª!!!¡± Clenching my teeth as hard as I could, I endured and endured the blow from the tail that was sent out to reap me. And while I was suspended mid-air, I wore the biggest, most fearless smile I could muster at the moment. Now was not the time to be extravagant, so skip the pleasantries. I put these words together in my mind. Then, with trembling hands, I attempted once again to use the technique that had been forcibly interrupted moments ago. ¡°You monster¡ª!!!¡± Holding up my sword in a half-hearted manner, I was barely able to withstand the attacks that were coming my way. My feet were not on the ground, so it was impossible for me to even stand firm. No matter how I struggled, once I was in the air, I would be left to my own devices, and the only thing waiting for me was to be pushed out of the way. But somehow, I felt I could manage under such circumstances. So, I resisted. I would show the greatest possible resistance I could muster. ¡°DON¡¯T UNDERESTIMATE MEEE!!!¡± Magic started circulating inside my body, and my only weapon emitted a slight glow. And soon after, the speed and impact at which I was being pushed drastically decreased beyond what normally would say ¡°normal.¡± A further inferior version of an inferior imitation. It was unthinkable to even mention the name of the technique, and it was beyond my ability to put it into words. Therefore, I kept it to myself, unbeknownst to others. I could only say these two words to the steel-like tail that turned on me¡­ ¡ª¡º Shooting Star ¡»¡ª Immediately after, I felt something breaking through the sword, reaching me as I swung it through the air, forcefully muttering to myself. ¡ª¡ª ¡ª¡ª Chapter 35 Despite my efforts to deliver a killing blow, I didn¡¯t have the luxury to be pleased with the current situation. The circumstances changed at a bewildering pace, as the color of blackish-red blood soon painted the empty sky. And just as soon as I thought I had cut him, I felt a staggering pressure so heavy that I was under the illusion that I had been grabbed right in the heart. It shrouded my existence and caused me to shiver from the chills that crept up on me as if interlocking with my body. ¡ªThis is bad¡­!!! It was a definite premonition. A cold premonition of my own death. Sensing it instinctively, I immediately retreated with a sharp grasp using my magic,¡º Sword: Creation, ¡»as a foothold before my feet touched the ground. And right after, a giant, steel-like tail appeared, roaring above the earth where I had just been seconds ago. ¡°Isn¡¯t this a load of bullshit¡­?!¡± There was no sign of any pre-motion nor a windup to the attack, but what occurred was indefinitely, just an abrupt blow. If I hadn¡¯t surrendered myself to the premonition I had just a moment ago, I would¡¯ve already been skewered by now. Visioning such a possibility, I screamed out in desperation. Then, a surge of murderous intent was directed at me, justifying how I inflicted such damage to the Jabberwock. And not long after, its steel tails were unleashed from all directions. I unintentionally wanted to shout and ask him just how many tails he has, but unfortunately, I didn¡¯t have time for that. ¡°What¡­ should I¡­?!¡± Do I avoid it? Cut it down? I had to make the ultimate choice. But before I did, two familiar voices suddenly roared out. ¡°¡ªGet down!!!¡± ¡°¡ª¡º Gladiator!!! ¡»¡± A torrent of scorching heat and countless jet-black blades comes rushing in. I instantly understood that these were reinforcements from Fiole and Siva. With gratitude in my heart, I stomped on the ground with a thud. With just a fraction of a second, I bent my legs like a spring, and once again¡ª I started to close in. In front of me stood an oversized target. A target that I could surely hit even with my eyes closed. And so, I concentrated all my magic on my sword. Don¡¯t dedicate it to anything else. It¡¯s a waste. A big hindrance. So throw it away. ¡°This time for sure¡ª!!!¡± Siva and Fiole took care of the incoming attack, and the only thing I had to do was to unleash my technique, my ¡®Shooting Star.¡¯ I then took a deep breath, and surrendered myself to the rage that was boiling my blood¡ª ¡°¡ª¡± A blank thought came to me. My vision suddenly shifted again, and this time¡­ at an angle. ¡°COME ON¡­!!!¡± My eyes grew furious as I lamented the reason why I couldn¡¯t swing my sword down normally, and I vent my unspoken outrage at the absurdity in front of me. A sense of intoxication gripped my entire body and my vision was left distorted. ¡°¡ªGoddamnit!¡± I jumped back involuntarily. And right after I did, the sense of intoxication that had taken over my body disappeared, and my vision returned to normal. However, thanks to the heavy fatigue that weighed down on me, my reaction was delayed for a moment. ¡°¡ª!!!¡± The Jabberwock let out an unspoken shriek, or as I liked to think¡ª his roar. Simultaneously, a frontal leg blow accompanied by a giant gust of wind immediately followed suit within a split-second gap in my consciousness. Although I knew it was coming, my body did not respond as it should have. ¡°Agh!¡± His claw and my sword soon collided. But the difference in our strength was as clear as daylight. The cruel reality of the situation hit me mercilessly. I could only resist for a second or so. Eventually, the Jabberwock¡¯s blow will go through my sword, and my body will be blown away like a speck of dust. ¡°KGH¡ª?!¡± Heaven and earth flashed in and out of view as a cloud of dust rolled in. After bouncing on the ground many times like a ball, the momentum began to dwindle after a dozen seconds, and it finally stopped as my body scraped against the ground. ¡°You have a very strange way of coming back.¡± ¡°Shut up, you¡­¡± *** [Translator ¨C Niel ] [Proofreader ¨C DVN-L ] Join our discord for updates on releases! https://dsc.gg/reapercomics *** I wiped the fresh blood dripping from my nose with the back of my hand. Apparently, I had been flung by sheer force right up to Siva¡¯s side. His nagging about how he was warning me then shook my eardrums. Although the earlier exchange had caused abrasions here and there on my body, I was probably able to defend myself well, as I did not suffer any fatal wounds. And I think that¡¯s a good enough performance, coming from me myself. ¡°But you understood it firsthand now, didn¡¯t you? It¡¯s almost impossible to get close enough to that humongous thing hoping to even inflict a little bit of damage.¡± ¡°¡­What¡¯s with that monster, anyway?¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably his ¡®magic¡¯. Although it is very rare, I have heard somewhere that among the monsters called mutants, there appear those who are congenitally able to handle their own magic.¡± Back then, I thought the people who also spouted the same thing were just talking a lot of crap, but apparently I was wrong. Siva¡¯s face was twisted with joy, despite the fact that it was as if he was asking for the current state of affairs to give him a break. The contorting of the corners of his mouth was an undeniable expression of his delight. ¡ªHis heart was racing. Just as it should be. Somehow, I wondered if he was now having some insane personal reasoning in his mind, thinking that he wouldn¡¯t be able to make a name for himself if he couldn¡¯t beat a monster of this caliber. ¡°¡­It would be no use continuing to unleash attacks from afar. So I was hoping to find some weakness in that unique magic of his, somehow.¡± He sighed to himself. The reason why he helped me get near the Jabberwock earlier was probably to get some kind of lead. ¡°With such a large target, my magic would be normally an effective means of attack, but his outer shell is just too hard to penetrate.¡± The Jabberwock¡¯s outer shell had the defensive capability of an impregnable fortress, and no half-hearted attack could penetrate its shell. ¡°But for someone like me who hasn¡¯t tried to master my own magic to the utmost limit, I really make a terrible match against him.¡± Having shown how his magic controlled his sword the ¡®Gladiator,¡¯ one may fall under the wrong impression, but Siva was a proper swordsman. Essentially, a swordsman was supposed to get near the enemy in order to cut and slay them with their sword. But being unable to close in the distance and get through the enemy¡¯s line of defense, we had no choice but to bide our time trying to find a way to bypass the Jabberwock¡¯s mysterious ¡®magic.¡¯ ¡°To top it all off, he has that regenerative ability and those hideous wings on its back¡­ We¡¯ll have to get him on the ground before he flies away or we¡¯ll have a lot of trouble.¡± ¡­It was just as Siva said. The tail that I had just slashed open was soon regenerated cleanly, with the seams and wounds quickly fusing with each other. I wasn¡¯t relentlessly pursued, as the Jabberwock¡¯s focus was diverted to Fiole¡¯s magic,¡º Corpse Puppet: Parade ¡»that gathered around me. It was as if it forgot I was even here. ¡°¡­I guess so. It would be very messy if he flew away.¡± I replied while reminiscing about the battle I had with the monster Fiole had named Pii-chan. In reality, however, there was no effective way to attack the Jabberwock in the hands of Siva and mine. But I wanted to defeat it. No matter how I did it, I wanted to beat that giant thing. ¡ªWhat should I do, then? ¡°We¡¯ll just have to somehow slay it as fast as we can.¡± A familiar metallic sound emerged with a clang. That was the answer to the question I asked myself. No matter how much I boiled it down, so long as I was a swordsman, the only way for me to defeat him was to slice him open. ¡°For someone who got flung around earlier, you don¡¯t sound very convincing.¡± Siva laughed at me in an amused way. ¡°Well, you do have a point.¡± ¡°So, what do you plan to do? Do you have something special in store for me?¡± He must¡¯ve concluded from my confident tone. If I had a strategy, he was willing to back me up at least one more time, Siva said. If I wanted to get close somehow, I would inevitably have to try to get close enough to find the weakness in his magic. Knowing so, Siva must¡¯ve decided that he¡¯d still help me, despite his desire to defeat it by himself. ¡°Of course I have. I¡¯m a Star Slayer after all. I¡¯ve got more tricks up my sleeve than I can count on both hands.¡± ¡ªIt was just¡­ I couldn¡¯t handle doing more than half of them. I couldn¡¯t afford to be weak under the circumstances, so I decided to keep those words to myself. ¡°¡­You don¡¯t say.¡± Then, by all means, show me. I read his emotion from his happy expression, and I smiled as if following his lead, hoping to meet his expectations. A spur of the moment demonstration, in the most crucial time. I had never thought this would happen, so I had never even unleashed it once. I hadn¡¯t even considered at least trying it out. And to be frank, that still hadn¡¯t changed. But there was only one option available to me. And that was not to attempt and do it, but to submit myself to doing it. Therefore¡­ ¡°Say, Siva¡ª¡± While looking up at the sky, which I could only describe as still bright, I decided to say a few irrelevant words unrelated to our current circumstances. ¡°¡ªHave you ever seen a night filled with shooting stars?¡± Chapter 36 It was a memory from the past, and so it flashed before my mind. * * * * * ¡°¡ªYou¡¯ve already gone sick in the head, you know? Day after day, you always spout ¡®Star-Slaying¡¯ this, ¡®Star-Slaying¡¯ that. Have you become a complete idiot? Huh?¡± There laid an endless wilderness. Scarcely a few hours before, the sky above the battlefield, which had been roaring unceasingly, was now engulfed with darkness and tinted with the eerie sunset. ¡°I guess so, yeah.¡± The other swordsman right beside him could only let out a little laugh, saying so. ¡°No matter how you look at it, nothing about your dream is within reason¡­ There is just no way you could prove something that insane, let alone actually being able to achieve it.¡± Say anything you want¡ª he said. The swordsman never sought to be understood, which had never changed, nor would it ever be. ¡°Even I myself wouldn¡¯t know that unless I try and do it. Whether or not I¡¯m truly deranged for my dream, I¡¯m just another obsessed person in your eyes.¡± Though, he wouldn¡¯t deny that it was indeed still beyond reason. He made his own decision about what he thought was right, and so that was enough reason to devote himself to that path. He neither seeks sympathy, nor understanding. Not compassion, much less cooperation, any of that. It didn¡¯t matter what anyone else thought of him, the swordsman concluded. ¡°¡­Heh. It¡¯s completely late for you, you know?¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°Are promises really that important to you?¡± ¡°Of course they are.¡± He said so without even a moment¡¯s hesitation. The man looked up at the sky, without the slightest intention of heeding the opinions of others, and then grumbled about how helpless he really was. ¡°¡­Even at a young age when I couldn¡¯t even fully understand the reason for things, I sure had a really big mouth. When it¡¯s the only promise I can make to people who are already gone in this world, how can I not try and fulfill it?¡± ¡°You¡¯re too disciplined for your own good.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll understand someday.¡± ¡ªEven if I were to die like this, I wouldn¡¯t be afraid. And it¡¯s because¡­ I have ¡õ¡õ¡õ¡õ* with me. I¡¯m not afraid, and I¡¯m not going to be afraid. Even if I die, I¡¯ll become a star and watch ¡õ¡õ¡õ¡õ afar, from a very special seat. *PR note: This is intentionally blank and has not been revealed yet. ¡°Having someone look me straight in the eye like that, I wouldn¡¯t be able to refuse. It¡¯s unsightly, and I cannot show such disgrace like that. So even if it takes me a lifetime, I will try to slay the stars¡­ No. If this life didn¡¯t suffice, the next one would. And if that still didn¡¯t work, then I will make it so the next one definitely will.¡± Even though it was a mere jest from childhood, he believed in it wholeheartedly. ¡­Even if it could cost it his life, be it a boastful, impossible feat, he had to make it come true. Hence the reason why he never ceased to declare his dream of slaying the stars, and the reason why it became the root of a swordsman who was never understood. ¡°¡­You¡¯re a nutjob, after all. How could a sane person declare something like that with such honest, straightforward eyes?¡± ¡ªA curse rather than an illness, to be more exact. From the other man¡¯s perspective, the resolve and determination found in the swordsman¡¯s eyes were unmistakably genuine. But the gleam in his eyes was so dangerous that he could not be said to be in his right mind. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like I don¡¯t understand your point. Because indeed, it¡¯s more than crazy to even consider the idea of slaying the stars.¡± But he had already decided to do it. No matter at what cost, he had already decided to prove that he could indeed slay the stars. He swore an oath. At that very time, in that very place. The swordsman himself affirmed it. As an ordinary swordsman who had the option to simply deny that dream and continue living as he had before, he chose to be pretentious and put on airs. He, of all people, had to crush the option of being just an ordinary person. So no matter what, he couldn¡¯t turn his back on that decision. *** [Translator ¨C Niel ] [Proofreader ¨C DVN-L ] *** ¡°But I just have to slay the stars, and that¡¯s all there to it.¡± ¡°And so you¡¯re proclaiming the same, single crap to drive yourself like an idiot who only has one thing in his mind?¡± ¡°I wonder about that.¡± ¡°¡­Hah. How long do you think we¡¯ve known each other already?¡± ¡°You have a point¡­¡± They were very close friends. Childhood friends. Most things could be fully comprehended by one another without any need for words, and so, the swordsman came up with a notion. ¡°¡­Just like a blade that smites reality into my fevered delusions again and again, cutting my confidence to shreds, calling myself a ¡®Star Slayer¡¯ is just perfect for me.¡± And so he declared. ¡°I am laughed at, scoffed upon, and made fun of for attempting to achieve such a tremendous feat. But, that¡¯s precisely why I must take it upon myself and still call myself one.¡± In other words, the fact that he was laughed at meant that he was far from the ¡°strongest¡± that anyone could recognize, not to mention the fact that he was still far from slaying the stars. ¡°What¡¯s your point?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ I am not, and will not be a ¡®Star Slayer¡¯ because I slew the stars. I am a ¡®Star Slayer; because I¡¯m striving to slay the stars.¡± ¡°¡­Jeez. I still don¡¯t know the difference even if you tell me that.¡± Explain it in simpler terms, or so the man demanded as he soon lost composure. He knew that the swordsman with whom he exchanged words was a difficult person to deal with, and so he decided to just give up and laugh at his friend¡¯s very trait. There was only one reason why the man chose to stick with the foolish swordsman, and it was simply because he couldn¡¯t leave him alone. Though, he never spoke of it, nor planned to do so, as he promised to carry those very words to his death. However, the man undeniably realized another thing¡­ and that was the swordsman would never be able to achieve his dream of slaying the stars, but that didn¡¯t stop him from devoting his life to someone who was desperately trying to be someone that they couldn¡¯t. The way he poured his heart and soul into his efforts to achieve his dream was ridiculous, unsightly, pathetic, far more fragile than his slim, delicate arms¡­ and yet, inexplicably precious. ¡°While we¡¯re busy chit-chattering like this, it seems like we had some visitors around.¡± An endless wilderness where ashes fluttered in the air. Over the vast ground of the battlefield. ¡°They seem to have researched us very well. I was wondering why they didn¡¯t step in, then I realized that they had a magician lurking in the rear. They want to avoid close-quarter combat at all cost, huh?¡± The distance was several hundred meters. Just enough to barely recognize a pea-sized silhouette and a slightly large magic circle painted in the sky. ¡°Say, what should we do¡ª ¡®Star Slayer?¡¯¡± You can worry about it all you want, but we do not have the time nor the luxury to do so. The man said with a nervous smile. ¡°Have you ever seen a night filled with shooting stars?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Those things are absurd, you know? They know that human legs can¡¯t keep up with them, yet they just fall from the sky as fast as they like.¡± Knowing that it couldn¡¯t be done, I wanted to slay them in one way or another somehow, he said. ¡°I thought I would attempt to slay the falling stars in the sky, but it proved much more difficult than it seemed. Unless you know the exact location where they would fall, slaying them would be completely impossible.¡± ¡°Now, now, now. That¡¯s a pretty logical opinion coming from you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I decided to just make the stars fall myself in response.¡± ¡°¡­I take it back. I forgot we were talking about you here, I can¡¯t expect the slightest room of you wavering from your principles.¡± ¡°If my sword can¡¯t reach them, I have to somehow find a means of attacking that doesn¡¯t necessarily need one, let alone me directly slashing through it.¡± ¡°¡­What do you plan to do?¡± ¡°Just as I told you, I¡¯m going to rain the shooting stars down myself¡­¡± * * * * * ¡°¡­A night filled with shooting stars?¡± ¡°It¡¯s something of a spectacle to see. Countless stars falling down in the darkness of the night at blinding speeds, which us humans can¡¯t even fathom to react to.¡± I had never actually seen a sight of a night filled with shooting stars with my own eyes, but my memory had a recollection of it nonetheless. ¡°¡­What the hell does that have to do with anything?¡± ¡°If you can¡¯t get close to them, just beat them to the distance they¡¯re headed to. There¡¯s no rule that says a swordsman has to get close in order to slay their enemy.¡± Therefore¡ª I, too, decided to slay through my target by raining stars. ¡°¡­I see what you mean. But if that¡¯s the case, why didn¡¯t you do just that in the first place?¡± ¡°You sure know how to hit a sore spot.¡± ¡°Of course. If I were in your shoes, I would¡¯ve done it as soon as I sensed something wrong the first time I approached the Jabberwock.¡± ¡°¡­Hmm¡­¡± A moment of silence passed through. And then¡­ ¡°To tell you the truth, I¡¯m hopelessly lacking in confidence in that very technique.¡± I exposed my genuine feelings. And after prefacing my response with how I didn¡¯t know what the end result would be¡­ ¡°Well, I¡¯ll give it a try anyway. At any rate, we¡¯re in a town where one must use whatever is available in order to survive¡ª Minaura. I know it¡¯s an inadequate memory to use right now, but there¡¯s no such thing as an exception anymore.¡± ¡°¡­Huh? What are you talking about?¡± Siva furrowed his brow, but I cut him off without giving the slightest bit of explanation. And on the occasion that I actually did, we would be here all day. ¡°Also, I have something to apologize about in advance.¡± The technique that I was about to perform imitates a night filled with shooting stars. A ¡®Star Slaying¡¯ technique developed by a lone swordsman who once wished to slice through and slay the countless stars that endlessly flowed past the sky. ¡°If by any chance that my technique worked out, you could also suffer a little bit of damage yourself.¡± I decided to apologize in advance, being aware of what was going to happen. ¡°¡­Oh, is that it? If that¡¯s the case, you don¡¯t need to worry about me. I¡¯m not so weak to fall down after one attack.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, too.¡± I already knew Siva¡¯s capabilities. And so I let out a light laugh, thinking that I was worrying for nothing, given that the technique I was about to do was no more than an inferior imitation of the original one. Then¡ª ¡°I¡¯ll take your word for it and give it a try, then.¡± One solution immediately came to mind. And in order to create a foothold, I chanted my magic out loud. ¡º ¡ªSword: Creation ¡» Chapter 37 Star-Slaying Swordsman [Translator ¨C Niel] [Proofreader ¨C DVN-L] Chapter 37 With a few steps, I used my swords as footholds and launched myself up in the air. There is an ironclad rule that fighters naturally understand. And that is, if you were to attack, you must aim for the enemy¡¯s vital point: Its head. Thus, I intently ran up into the sky to get a full view of the Jabberwock, a view that I was unable to see no matter how much I tried to look up at it. And when I was about a dozen meters off the ground: ¡°Pfft¡ª Haha¡­¡± With my eyes squinted and my thin lips contorted, I laughed. ¡­More accurately, I couldn¡¯t help but laugh. Running up into the air aligned our gazes at the same level ever so briefly. This became the catalyst for the Jabberwock¡¯s overwhelming sense of intimidation, which intensified all the more, making my sweat glands burst out in a flash. The laugh I let out to disguise the tension that shrouded my entirety was the strangest laugh I could¡¯ve ever possibly made. And without the need to look at a mirror, I figured that much. ¡°Wh-What are you doing, Julius?!¡± A scream came out of nowhere. And to my surprise, it belonged to Fiole. Perhaps she was caught off guard, given the recklessness that I did running up into the air as if I was begging the Jabberwock to come at me. I felt sorry, but I decided to ignore that very voice. ¡­Thump. My heart beat much louder than usual. All the deafening noise, I ignored it. Don¡¯t let the distractions get to you. Concentrate, concentrate. Picture it. Imitate it. Focus all of your consciousness on your sword. I shut myself out from the sound, and didn¡¯t pay heed to the wind that caressed my skin: ¡°¡ªHa¡ª¡± As the oxygen circulating in my body became scarce, I finally understood that I had been concentrating so hard that I had forgotten to even breathe. I hurriedly took air into my lungs and raised my sword high into the sky. There was only one thing left to do. And that was it to run my sword through the sky like a fierce gust of wind. However, the swordsman in my memories was too far out of the ordinary, he had sublimated such a simple act of magic to greater heights, and just by swinging his sword, he was able to recreate a ¡°night filled with shooting stars¡± in his own way. He was a person who couldn¡¯t handle magic but ultimately honed his skills and magic to an unbelievable level through only his own efforts, sense, and natural talent. The more I became experienced with the ways of the sword, the more I realized that his techniques weren¡¯t fruits of human skills. How was it even possible to unleash an attack capable of such slashing prowess by just merely swinging a sword in the first place? I¡¯d been wielding my sword for several years now, but there was never a time I had any premonition of any of this happening. ¡°¡ª¡ª!!!¡± Was that some kind of scream? The air shook so much that even the hand holding my sword trembled because of it. ¡°¡­I still have a lot to improve on, so I guess¡­ I¡¯m going to have to cheat just a little bit.¡± I convinced myself as I said so to make excuses. *** [Translator ¨C Niel ] [Proofreader ¨C DVN-L ] *** ¡°I finally figured out why your arm gets destroyed every time you deliver that¡º Shooting Star ¡»technique of yours.¡± It was a year ago now. One of the adventurers¡ª Lilea, a female swordsman ¡ªwas curious about my way of training, and one day suddenly said something like this to me: ¡°I¡¯m guessing that¡­ you¡¯re terrifyingly good at using ¡®magic,¡¯ but you¡¯re also terrifyingly bad at it.¡± ¡°¡­What do you mean?¡± It was such a contradictory statement that shook my eardrums. ¡°As you probably already knew, it¡¯s not possible for a swordsman to hurt himself to the point of breaking his arm just by swinging a sword. It could happen if you were swinging your sword against an incredibly solid target, but in your case, you were swinging into thin air, and yet your arm still snapped.¡± ¡­It was just as she said. But even though I had my own doubts, I was already convinced on my own that it was a reasonable price to pay for the power of the ¡°Shooting Star.¡± However, Lilea wasn¡¯t so convinced. And it seemed like she was searching for the cause of the problem. ¡°I know this is sudden, but just how much do you know about ¡®magic¡¯?¡± ¡°¡­Well, I know that magic is something that is very important, and that every human being has it. That¡¯s all¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re definitely not wrong, but you were missing a few things here and there. Magical power is an entity that is transformed into ¡®magic¡¯ when it¡¯s released outside the body in some form. It could be something like ¡®creation magic,¡¯ just like you have, or ¡®casting magic¡¯ like other magicians have. But your technique, ¡®Shooting Star,¡¯ is almost just magic¡­ No, it¡¯s definitely just pure magic.¡± ¡­I could probably use it too if I wanted to, but I would never come to the point where I actually would want to use it, Lilea added in a whisper with a bitter look on her face. ¡°I would venture to say that it¡¯s a magic solely dedicated to slaying purposes. Magic power should be evenly distributed in your body as one would release it, but when you do a¡º Shooting Star, ¡»the magic is only concentrated in your hand. Magic is the aggregation of magical power. What I meant is that in your case, you are strengthening your arm to the limit in exchange for an enormous amount of strain. So, inevitably, while you produce an incredibly powerful blow, your arm breaks because it can¡¯t stand the strain.¡± For that reason, whether I was consciously or unconsciously skillful in handling magic power, no matter how we looked at it, it was impossible to store excessive magic power in one¡¯s arm. In spite of knowing this, I myself also admitted that I wasn¡¯t very good at handling it, seeing as how I broke my arm every time. ¡°I¡¯ve been meaning to ask, but who taught you that technique?¡± ¡°¡­Why do you want to know?¡± ¡°Because the way you do it isn¡¯t refined at all¡­ You¡¯ve been training like this for all this time, right? It looks to me like you¡¯re trying to close the gap between yours and the ideal technique you¡¯ve been meaning to achieve.¡± ¡°¡­¡± She was so right on the mark that it made me speechless. ¡°I¡¯m a swordsman myself, too, so I know firsthand what it¡¯s like to want to reach out for that longing.¡± She laughed as she said so. ¡­Nevertheless, according to Lilea, I¡¯m a person capable of storing ¡°magical power,¡± but in reality, I thought otherwise. Whenever I tried to intentionally focus my magical power in a single specific area of my body, I always failed. The only time I succeeded in doing so was when I tried to unleash¡ºShooting Star.¡» ¡°¡­Haha.¡± Lilea called it a talent. Perhaps it was because I had already seen a man who succeeded in performing this technique with such remarkable power without relying on magic and magical power, but only his sheer strength, that I could no longer think of it as anything other than cheating. But even so, I had to train and get one step closer to that higher level. An ordinary person like me could only get into this world by being unfair. Thus, I had not the slightest hesitation in using it. ¡°HEY¡ª!!! Have you seen a night filled with shooting stars before?!¡± The corners of my mouth lifted almost unbearably. Just turn around and face me, Jabberwock. With such a thought in my mind, I let out my voice from the depths of my stomach with all my might. The Jabberwock¡¯s focus, which had been directed at Fiole¡¯s¡º Corpse Puppet: Parade ¡»was now on me. The tension that was coming toward me was definitely different. But I didn¡¯t have the luxury of worrying about it, which was why I was already in the motion of swinging down my sword. I only had one chance. Whether I succeeded or not, this was probably the only time my arm would function properly. ¡°If you haven¡¯t seen one already, make sure to pay close attention to this¡­!!! You lump of absurdity¡ª!!!¡± The reason why the Star-Slayer had derived all of his techniques from the stars was that he recognized their existence as a mass of absurdity. Therefore, the most effective way to counter that mass of absurdity was to become one yourself. By concluding so, I¡ª!!! ¡°SHOOT HIM DOWN¡ª!!!¡± Come on, dodge it if you can. Each and every light that¡¯d fall from here on out is a meteor shower of deadly blades that will rip into your entirety. There is no escape from the raging torrent of descending stars. ¡°¡ª¡º Night of the Shooting Stars: Naglufar ¡»!!!¡± Chapter 38 Star-Slaying Swordsman [Translator ¨C Niel] [Proofreader ¨C DVN-L ] Chapter 38 ¡­Please work out. I envisioned a canvas of a sky, drawing an arc on it with the swing of a sword as I ran. And it came to life. Their trails were even more dazzling than the bright moon¡ª and they flashed across the sky like a star. ¡°¡ª¡ª¡± A fleeting moment of blankness was born, and a momentary silence followed suit. It was only a fraction of a second, but it certainly brought a sense of awe throughout the space. And soon after¡­ ¡°GAH¡ª!!!¡± A loud voice pierced my eardrums. It was an ugly and painful scream that resounded throughout the vicinity. Starlights soon descended rapidly from the sky, so fast that it didn¡¯t give enough time to even blink. ¡°¡­Haha¡­ HAHAHAHAHAHA¡­!!!¡± What took over my body was an indescribable feeling of elation. This was the cue where I laughed. I swung my sword in all directions, drawing trails of stars wherever I ended up swinging to. I drew, drew, and swung my sword in hopes of tearing through my enemy. Swinging my sword mindlessly while smiling like an idiot, I was finally able to ignore the pain to a limited extent while cracking the emotional restraints I had been suppressing. The starlights, without a single care, finally rushed in and devoured through the entirety of the Jabberwock¡¯s outer shell. However, unaware of my limit, my body started to swell up. I checked my own status. But it didn¡¯t matter. The sound of something creaking. The fresh blood dripping from nowhere. And the stabbing pain rushing through my entire body. It didn¡¯t matter one bit. ¡°¡ª¡ª!!!¡± A groan enveloped by hatred and rage soon shook the place. The Jabberwock¡¯s eyes, which were now filled with dark emotions, changed colors. Immediately after, the Jabberwock spread its wings and began to flap them while being pierced by the starlights in several places. ¡ªThis is bad¡­! Even if I thought so, it was impossible to adjust the trajectory of¡º Naglufar ¡». I just desperately unleashed it, and I couldn¡¯t possibly hope to hit his wings by will. ¡°¡ªHey, this one¡¯s on me! Make sure to take it¡ª!!!¡º Gladiator ¡»!!!¡± It was Siva¡¯s scream. And as soon as he said so, black blades suddenly appeared from the earth and the sky, headed straight for the wings of the Jabberwock. ¡°Heh¡ª you¡¯re hooked here pretty well if I say so myself! Did you really try to escape just now? Huh?!¡± Siva took advantage of this opportunity to let out a chuckle in a grand manner, plastering a clearly recognizable taunt to the Jabberwock¡¯s face. You ruined your last chance to escape, or so his taunting face said. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare run away from me now!¡º Gladiator ¡»!!!¡± Siva¡¯s ultimate goal was that blow. The Jabberwock displayed hesitation at the blow aimed at its wing, and at the moment it took a stance to intercept, a swarm of black swords was unleashed, surrounding him in all directions. It was as if the Jabberwock was trapped between me, Fiole, and even Siva, no matter which direction it decided to look. ¡°Hey¡ª what are you doing?!¡± ¡°Brace yourself, Corpse Princess! You can¡¯t expect to stall for time if you¡¯ve delivered this much damage! We¡¯ve got to finish off this big fella, so just help me already, Corpse Princess!!!¡± ¡°DON¡¯T YOU ¡®CORPSE PRINCESS¡¯ ME, I TOLD YOU TO NOT CALL ME THAT, DIDN¡¯T I?! BESIDES, I KNOW THAT TOO!!!¡± ¡ªTo be brutally honest, I wanted to beat the Jabberwock by myself. But I already felt nothing in my right arm. The Jabberwock¡¯s whole body was flushed red with anger while trembling with utter rage towards me. I hated to admit it, but this might be just impossible for me alone. Thus, I decided to accept it for now. I didn¡¯t have the skills to affirm that I didn¡¯t need their help after all. And then I realized¡­ ¡°¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t get a hold of my sword any longer, and so my right arm started to hang limp. Screams were coming from all over my right arm, and it clicked to me immediately that this very arm would be rendered useless on the spot unless some kind of treatment was given. And then, I choked. My entire body went numb and rigid from the intense pain radiating from my right arm. The intense pain burned my brain, and for a brief moment, my body didn¡¯t move the way I wanted it to. ¡°¡­Ha¡ª¡± I alone bore the brunt of the Jabberwock¡¯s hatred. Its huge rock-like figure had already been pierced and penetrated so many times that its insides somehow started to peek out, but I never felt any sign of wavering. And although the humongous monster in front of me was evidently seriously wounded, the flames of its fighting spirit had yet to diminish. Immediately after, multiple steel tails were thrusting toward me at an incredibly unbelievable speed. My right arm was useless, and my body was no longer functioning properly. ¡­I was too careless. With such regret, I closed my eyelids as I fell to the ground, no longer resisting gravity. I was going to die a defenseless death. However, I had a premonition. I had a hunch that something was going to happen. And the moment where I should¡¯ve been already pierced by the Jabberwock¡¯s steel tail: ¡°¡­You¡¯re too reckless.¡± Instead, a voice of dismay shook my eardrums as I felt a slight shock in my back. The next thing I knew, I was being carried on the back of the monster under Fiole¡¯s magic, and the corner of my mouth curved up into a smile realizing that she saved my life just in the nick of time. *** [Translator ¨C Niel ] [Proofreader ¨C DVN-L ] *** ¡°Hey, it¡¯s my turn now! Don¡¯t just go after Julius!!! I¡¯m here too!!! Hey¡­ Hey, HEYYY!!!¡± A roar. It was a cry that was no other than that of a guy named Siva, who, perhaps thinking that he wouldn¡¯t get close to the Jabberwock anyway, spreads his hands out in an exaggerated manner and shrilled his voice like an idiot to get his attention. Come to think of it, he wanted to deal with the Jabberwock by himself too, I thought as I surveyed the surroundings with a glance. What surfaced was that there were a lot of jet-black swords floating around Siva, and given that it was such an out-of-the-ordinary technique, I couldn¡¯t help but think that it, too, wasn¡¯t a human technique. So instead, I just jerked my upper body up and focused on the woman in front of me, Fiole. ¡°I know you¡¯re already aware, but I think your arm is undeniably destroyed. That fight probably still may not be enough for you, but if you can¡¯t even hold a sword, you can¡¯t really do much about it.¡± Albeit partially, you managed to destroy his outer shell and did a considerable amount of damage. You¡¯ve done enough, so leave the rest to me and that red-headed guy, Fiole said, seeing right through my inner thoughts. But I didn¡¯t respond to her words and silently looked down at my own body. ¡°Hm.¡± The numbness was fading. Although I thought that the stiffness was only temporary, the pain that kept coming up made my face twist into a distorted expression. No matter how many times I broke my arms in training, what once hurt would still hurt. Of course, I didn¡¯t have any special skill that made me insensitive to pain, so all I could do was endure it. Despite this, however, there was a reason why I could turn my back on such things, even if forcefully. And so¡ª ¡°Um¡­ You see, I have a skill I haven¡¯t told many people about.¡± I said, laughing in a funny way. It¡¯s a little strange to call it a special skill, but for me, it¡¯s definitely one, since it allows me to wield a sword even in this kind of state. ¡°I¡¯m actually an ambidextrous person.¡± ¡°¡­What of it?¡± ¡°Well, I was just saying that even if my right arm breaks, I can still wield my sword using my left.¡± I only had one chance. I only had one chance to settle this with my right arm, surely. So I turned my attention to my empty left hand, and chanted my magic¡º Sword: Creation ¡»deep in my heart, clutched the sword that surfaced in my hand, and laughed¡­ ¡°¡­¡± What I got in return was a combination of dismay and exasperation. She silently looked at me as if she couldn¡¯t understand what I was thinking at all. Compared to the man in my memory, I was still an ordinary person, and if I didn¡¯t accept a little pain as a matter of course, there was no way I¡¯d be able to move forward properly. And every time I defeated a strong enemy with my own hands, I felt a certain sense of fulfillment that I was getting closer to what I longed for. And that made me unbearably happy. This pain was nothing compared to the purpose I had in mind. ¡°In any case, that monster is my prey.¡± I had no intention of giving it up, even to Siva. I¡¯d take his breath away and feed on the Jabberwock with my own hands. That¡¯s what I decided¡ª ¡°It¡¯s about time to shut that big clamoring mouth of his.¡± Declaring just so, I threw my body into the air once again. Telling me to just do whatever I wanted with a wry smile on her face, Fiole closed her own distance once again as well. ¡°Hey!!! You can¡¯t fight anymore, can you?! Just leave this to me and stay out of this, Julius!!!¡± ¡°Hm~? What are you talking about, Siva~?¡± My cheeks twitched. That very remark was so hilarious that I couldn¡¯t stop myself from laughing. ¡°To hell with my broken arm. I still have my left arm functioning just fine.¡± You can only say that you can¡¯t fight when both your arms are broken, unable to stand up due to excessive blood loss, and all you can do is crawl to the ground. Even if your chest is slashed open by a large sword, if you can stand up, you can still fight. If you only have distorted vision and can still hold your sword, you can still fight. ¡°The battle for the one who can take him down first isn¡¯t over yet though, is it?¡± ¡°Ku¡ª Ha¡ª HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Okay, then. I ain¡¯t gonna stop you if that¡¯s what you want. Do what you want, but I¡®ll do what I want, too!!!¡± With a roar of laughter, Siva raised his left hand, and as if in tandem with his movements, all of the jet-black swords surrounding us pointed their blades at the Jabberwock. Most of the outer shell shielding the Jabberwock was already damaged and crumbled, so there was an exposed unprotected section of his flesh. In such a situation when so many swords are ready to come flooding in, I didn¡¯t need to think about what to do anymore. I followed suit and raised my sword. And this would be the second time that I was going to unleash this technique, and so I felt that I would be able to do it at least a little better than before. Time was already running out, I couldn¡¯t afford to stay put. ¡°SHOOT HIM DOWN¡ª¡± ¡°GO TO HELL¡ª¡± Our words overlapped. The Jabberwock¡¯s jaw was now pointed at me, and a familiar high-pitched sound soon shook my eardrums. It was the sound I heard many times when shooting something off. ¡­It just might be his attempt to intercept. But even so, I would tear through and slay him at all costs. I then poured everything I had into my sword, following an attack that had no change in trajectory: ¡°¡ª¡º NIGHT OF THE SHOOTING STARS: NAGLUFAR ¡»!!!¡± ¡°¡ª¡º THE BLACK PIERCER: GLADIATOR ¡»!!!¡± ¡ª¡ª Chapter 39 Star-Slaying Swordsman [Translator ¨C Niel] [Proofreader ¨C DVN-L ] Chapter 39 * * * * * Crackle, crackle. Frosted sounds reverberated in the vicinity. The sounds echoed, crackling, as the freezing air steadily spread its range with each passing moment. All of this¡­ was the work of a certain woman. A woman whose silver hair gave the impression of the blade of a sword, a woman wearing an expressionless face¡ª Viera Islebark. Crackle. By her side stood a man. Encroached, spread, and covered with ice laid the town of Minaura. A complete change had occurred from a town of ruins. Such devastation had quickly transformed into a world of ice fields in the blink of an eye. And as soon as the monsters lurking around the town revealed themselves, they immediately became ice sculptures. ¡ªThis really¡­ pissed you off after all, the man said. Regardless of how much of a character he knew Viera to be, he could hardly bear the overwhelmingly ridiculous power she exhibited as they walked. Directly feeling the moisture that made his back sweat uncomfortably, the man, Abald, remained tight-lipped as he desperately contemplated how to somehow overcome this situation. ¡­Crackle¡ª Finally, the sound stopped. And at the same time, their footsteps followed suit. ¡°¡­It was truly fortunate that you arrived in Minaura ahead of your schedule, Viera-sama.¡± ¡°I had a premonition that something terrible would happen. Although I was reluctant to do so, I left the task to my two companions.¡± ¡°¡­I see.¡± Your sense for danger is exceptional as ever, Abald thought, as he swallowed his words in secrecy. ¡°So, was it the flaxen-haired boy and the red-haired man?¡± Those were the descriptions of the two people Fiole Islebark was said to be headed out with. ¡°Could they be¡­ the ones lying over there?¡± A stench of death, one that makes one¡¯s nose curl, permeated through the air. Without even a twitch in her face in response to the utter smell of rust and lumps of meat that pervaded the area, Viera addressed the facts that are presented before her very eyes in an unwavering tone of voice. There lay a mangled, mutilated lump of flesh, a red-haired young man lying on his back, and a boy screaming in pain while being tended by Fiole Islebark. The red-haired young man¡¯s face is dead pale. The flaxen-haired boy¡¯s arms helplessly hung down without strength, not a second glance was needed to ascertain that it was indeed broken. Viera then let out a sigh as she sorted out the situation with a glance. ¡°¡ªFiole.¡± ¡°Hm? A-Ah¡ª AH! It¡¯s Viera!!! And Abald, too!!!¡± Just like a little girl who had found something new, Fiole stood up with a bright, blooming smile plastered on her face. ¡ªOU¡­CH!!! Not minding the boy that she was supposed to be tending, she let go of his hand with a snap and immediately rushed over to Viera. ¡°¡­I¡¯m aware that he¡¯s injured, but¡­ is that boy okay?¡± He couldn¡¯t even hold his own arms up. The only thing that he could do was to wriggle from side to side and writhe in agony, Viera remarked in a very concerned manner. ¡°That boy is the living definition of sturdiness, so he¡¯s totally fine!¡± ¡°It¡­ hurts¡­¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem that way.¡± ¡°He¡¯s the kind of person who would gladly destroy his own arm on purpose, so I really thought he¡¯d be fine¡­ Well, either way¡­ You can heal him now, Abald.¡± ¡°¡­Understood, Princess.¡± Perhaps it was because he was the one who had healed his very broken arm a few hours earlier, but the dismay on his face was likely greater than the other two. He walked up to the boy, wondering just what kind of fighting style would cause him to destroy his arm every single time. ¡°Now, who did that?¡± The first thing she laid her eyes on was the corpse of a massive monster, one that didn¡¯t even twitch anymore. ¡ªIt was none other than the remains of the ¡®Jabberwock.¡¯ ¡°Well, those two are the ones responsible for that. I told them that we must wait for you to arrive so we could defeat the Jabberwock together as planned, but they didn¡¯t listen to me one bit. One of them fell down because of overconsumption of magic, and the other one broke both of his arms to pieces. They¡¯re such idiots, aren¡¯t they?¡± ¡°¡­¡± However, not showing much interest in Fiole¡¯s remark, Viera silently took a few steps toward the Jabberwock¡¯s corpse¡ª and picked up bits of its crushed, bloodstained outer shell. *** [Translator ¨C Niel ] [Proofreader ¨C DVN-L ] *** And not long after¡ª ¡°¡­Are you sure they are really the ones who defeated the Jabberwock?¡± ¡°Yes, but what about it, Viera-chan?¡± She repeated the question. Fiore, wondering about the situation, asked again with a slightly furrowed brow. Viera¡¯s lips were drawn together. After a few seconds of pause, she opened her mouth and began to tell the rest of the story. ¡°¡­I planned on fully freezing this place as I was arriving, so that I¡¯d be prepared to deal with anything that might happen at any time.¡± Just as Viera said, the area was covered in cold air, and absolutely engulfed by ice fields all around. ¡°And so I made it that this monster would also freeze alongside everything, making it immobile, but¡­¡± Her words stopped right there. Viera then reached for the shell, and as soon as her hands touched it, she sighed, as if fueling fire to her concern . ¡°¡­Did it freeze the monster?¡± ¡°¡­Its outer shell prevented it from freezing. I¡¯m guessing that magic in general is useless against this monster, given that magic won¡¯t be able to penetrate its shell. If you put an unbelievable amount of magic power into it, I could¡¯ve somehow frozen it even a little, but in practice, it¡¯s not really realistic.¡± ¡°What? N-No. Wait a second¡­ Then that means¡­¡± ¡°We just might have been saved by those two.¡± It was a dream made into reality by two fight maniacs who had slain the Jabberwock before them. It was no ordinary monster, but a mutant that could manipulate magic. It had a strong outer shell that was resistant to magic, and when approached, one would lose their sense of balance from the Jabberwock¡¯s own unidentifiable magic. And finally, its blows were delivered from its overwhelming physique. The Jabberwock was truly a formidable opponent. If it were to be given a second name, such a name as the Magician Killer would be appropriate. ¡°¡ªWith all that being said, a ¡®Star Slayer,¡¯ huh?¡± ¡°Huh? Viera-chan, you know about Julius-kun too?¡± ¡°¡­He was the only one who volunteered to be drafted to Minaura among all the villages I went to. There¡¯s no way I could forget him.¡± ¡°I guess so. How could someone have such a crazy way of thinking in the first pla¡ª HUH?! A VILLAGER?!¡± ¡°That boy is definitely a villager, Fiole.¡± After all, the village chief and his father begged her not to involve Julius. Therefore, Viera reiterated that he is undeniably a mere villager, not an adventurer. ¡°Nevertheless, it is bold of him to bring up the name ¡®Star Slayer¡¯ again.¡± How could a mere villager, who wasn¡¯t even sure if he knew the history behind it, have the slightest privilege of uttering it? ¡°¡­Hm? Do you know something about it, Viera-chan?¡± ¡°It was too abrupt for me to remember at the time, but now I have a little recollection about it¡­ It¡¯s just that¡­ the name ¡®Star Slayer¡¯ is a name that was erased about 300 years ago. But I think that those who know are people in power, like me.¡± ¡°Erased?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know the details why, but I imagine the life of the man who once called himself the ¡®Star Slayer¡¯ must not have been a very good one.¡± ¡°¡­Hmmm~¡± Without asking her if she really didn¡¯t know or just lost interest about it, Fiole took her eyes off Viera. And with a smile on her face, she walked up to the boy once again. ¡°¡­Surely, no one will believe what happened, but even so I¡ª¡± The words stopped. ¡°¡­No, I was overthinking it. It¡¯s not like me.¡± If he really managed to do such a feat, it¡¯s fine, is what she thought to herself. However, the fact that he was a swordsman who had unleashed an attack that shattered an outer shell that magic could not penetrate was still a fact that only Viera and Fiole knew. And judging from the way he was sprawling out in pain, it was extremely likely that he was still unaware of how much of an achievement this was. So if Viera and Fiole kept their mouths shut, the fact would remain in the dark. Even if they were to blow the truth, not a single person would believe it. No one would think that there was an out of the ordinary being who could shatter the Jabberwock¡¯s impenetrable outer shell that was completely resistant to magic with a mere swing of a sword. ¡°But¡­¡± Viera suddenly thought. She is called the ¡®Warrior Princess¡¯ because she is one of the most powerful people in the kingdom. ¡°¡ªThe name ¡®Star-Slaying Swordsman¡¯ might be much heavier than you think.¡± She declared just so. The people whose names are erased are usually those who were shunned, threatened, and feared by the higher-ups of the time. And that is because they needed to convince their people that the kingdom was the noblest and most superior of all. Otherwise, they would not be able to achieve the reign that is most convenient for the kingdom they desire. Therefore, it is needless to say that these extraordinary people, who could overturn everything with just one person, were more inconvenient than anything else for them. ¡­It was a trivial story, but it was possible that the achievements of those whose names had been erased¡ª not only the ¡®Star-Slaying Swordsman,¡¯ ¡ªhad been rewritten in the history of the past kings, or even the so-called glorious history of the country. Under such circumstances, one thing could be said with certainty: The person who was identified as the ¡®Star-Slaying Swordsman¡¯ was a person who had accomplished something that warranted his name to be erased. Without a doubt, they weren¡¯t simple, everyday people. ¡ªNot when they were called monsters. Chapter 40 Star-Slaying Swordsman [Translator ¨C Niel] [Proofreader ¨C DVN-L ] Chapter 40 ¡°¡ªYou said you just wanted us to give you a ride to the capital, but is that reward really enough?¡± Both of my arms, which had been broken to pieces, had already been completely healed by Abald¡¯s ability. Siva somewhat regained his magic power back, alleviating him from his depletion of magic. And after mustering the power to rise up with a jerk, he sat down with the three of us as we exchanged words. ¡°There is nothing in particular that I want, so I would gladly say that ride alone is enough for me.¡± Besides, I was already intimidated. I said in a hesitant tone, not being aware that one of the nobles¡ª Viera Islebark had joined us before I knew it. ¡ªShe wants to properly reward Siva and I for the Jabberwock incident. No matter what our motives were, if we really faced the Jabberwock upon Viera¡¯s arrival, it was more than probable that there would¡¯ve been actual casualties, deaths to be specific. Hence the reason why she¡¯s so adamant about repeatedly asking us for things we wanted. ¡°You earned it, so why don¡¯t you name something you want like I did?¡± Siva astonishedly said, asking me if I didn¡¯t have any greed inside of me. There was a sealed letter resting in his hands, and it was the reward he had been hoping for. ¡°¡ªA letter of authorization to the off-limits North End territory, huh? I never thought they¡¯d actually write you one.¡± I was only a mere villager, but even I knew about that place. The restricted area¡ª North End territory. Better known as the Town of the Dead. It was the only restricted area in the kingdom, even more notorious than Minaura, the town I was currently at. ¡°¡­Well, if there¡¯s an opportunity for me to get stronger, I¡¯d really love to test my chances against it, really¡­¡± ¡ªIt¡¯s just that¡­ ¡°I don¡¯t really have a reason for going there just yet¡­ So as much as I¡¯m jealous now, I¡¯m not going.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± It was the only decision that only I knew. I was aware that it was just an excuse, but I¡¯d always acted accordingly when I¡¯d done something reckless. No matter how small the thing, nor how trivial the reason was. I wasn¡¯t willing to be reckless just because I wanted to be strong. After all, I was a person who had always admired the ¡®Star-Slaying Swordsman¡¯ to no end. Thus, why I imitated his whole being. I tried to trace and follow his very example. It was the life of the man who wielded his sword for the sake of a promise to someone else. Therefore, if you are going to push through with recklessness, no matter how big or small, you would want a good reason. A reason for the sake of someone else, that is. ¡°It¡¯s something I deeply decided on my own, you know¡­? That¡¯s what my sword is telling me¡­¡± That swordsman¡¯s sword. I believe that¡¯s the kind of sword I longed for. ¡°¡­I see. If that¡¯s what you¡¯ve determined to do, I can¡¯t really force you to do anything.¡± ¡°That¡¯s about what I meant¡­ Besides, I¡¯ve already had my childhood friend waiting in the capital for almost ten days now. If I delay any longer, she¡¯ll probably kill me.¡± ¡°Ku¡ª HAHAHAHAHA!!! Now that I remember it, you mentioned that before! Well, if you¡¯ve already broken your promise, I guess you¡¯ll have to head over there to apologize to her as soon as possible.¡± Siva laughed hysterically, clutching his stomach. Fiole was just being herself, but even under the habit of being so out of touch with her own process, she apparently had a weak spot for childhood friends¡­ She cracked every time that word escaped my mouth, and she was trying her best to hold back her laughter reacting to it. ¡­The only people who were on my side in this very situation were Viera, who maintained her blank expression, and Abald, who was rather detached. ¡°But if that¡¯s the case, I guess this is where we part ways.¡± We just happened to be going to the same place. It was an unexpected event for us to be working together in Minaura, and it felt as if it were just a matter of course. I had no intention of leaving him, just as I didn¡¯t have any intention of traveling with him in the first place, and so it justified why I wasn¡¯t so reluctant about saying goodbye. ¡­We laughed and did as we pleased. ¡°I didn¡¯t beat the Jabberwock all by myself, so I won¡¯t go around boasting about this incident. What I would say is that¡­ this has been a great experience.¡± It¡¯s a mutant monster that¡¯s resistant to magic, and you can¡¯t attack at close range. Knowing that such a thing exists alone is already valuable information he could keep in mind for his future endeavors, Siva said with a carefree smile. ¡°The next time we meet¡­ Let¡¯s see¡­ I hope we can take down and defeat such a monstrosity together again.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll have to find a bigger monster next time, then.¡± ¡°Heh¡ª Let¡¯s do just that!!! I¡¯m going to slay a star or two right after that, then!!!¡± ¡°¡­You¡¯re really hopeless. I knew there was something fundamentally wrong with your head the moment I met you.¡± *** [Translator ¨C Ramen ] [Proofreader ¨C DVN-L ] *** Fiole, who was watching me and Siva jokingly throw words at each other, was truly dumbfounded. And eventually, the laughter died down. ¡°¡ªWell, I didn¡¯t really understand it until the end, but I hope you really become one. You know, a ¡®Star-Slayer?¡¯¡± ¡°Yeah, I hope so, too.¡± I don¡¯t know when that will be, but it will, I promise. ¡°And I owe you for showing me the way here! I¡¯m going to pay you back someday¡ª you can go your merry way from now on, but you better not get killed.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± I choked back a laugh. I guess he was concerned about my safety in his own way. The first time I saw him, he was a little out of place, but he was clearly a caring person, even if his tone was a little rough. ¡°My arms have already been healed and all, so I guess it¡¯s about time I have them take me to the capital now.¡± As I described my preferred reward, Fiole then immediately prepared the monster that I would use: ¡°I¡¯ve already ordered this monster to take you to the capital once you get on her back, so all you have to do is hang on and you¡¯ll be fine.¡± Seeing me constantly stare at the monster curiously as she sat behind Fiole¡¯s back, she filled me in on the details, explaining the things that I should know. ¡°And I¡¯m going to ask you again one last time, but are you sure you don¡¯t want the Jabberwock¡¯s corpse? You could literally buy a whole village if you sold it somewhere¡­ I¡¯m not kidding.¡± ¡°¡­If I can¡¯t convince you that I really don¡¯t need it, then I guess it could serve as my thanks for saving my life at that time.¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s a pretty big thanks.¡± Fiole was obviously taken aback by my comment, but I really didn¡¯t care about the corpse, nor its worth, deep down in my heart. The only thing I was passionate about was slaying the stars. ¡ªNothing else. Once I was driven by the heat of my longing, no matter how dazzling the gold, the feast, or the opposite sex was in front of me, everything became secondary in my priorities. I had my resolve completely firm in my mind without a shred of doubt. ¡°I¡¯ll take your word for it. But if that¡¯s the case, let me tell you a magic phrase, then.¡± ¡° A magic phrase?¡± ¡°Yes, a magic phrase, one that makes a certain knight in the capital will listen to you with a smile on his face. You¡¯re going to the capital, so you¡¯re bound to get into a lot of trouble after all.¡± And if that¡¯s the case, you¡¯d really need it. Right, Julius-kun? Said Fiole looking at me amused with her gleaming eyes. ¡°¡­I wonder about that.¡± ¡°No, no, no, you¡¯re going to need it, I assure you. You would definitely seek to get involved with this person had you decided that it was an opportunity to get stronger, absolutely.¡± The desire to be strong and slay the stars is like a cancerous cell that can only multiply and expand. Fiore was telling me that I was the kind of person who wouldn¡¯t admit to my own words, that it wasn¡¯t something I could bring myself to control now. ¡°So remember this. She¡¯s the vice commander of the knights under the direct control of the royal family, and her name is Zenoa Almerida. If you mention my name, she will definitely listen to you. Had you been involved with any trouble, ask her to help you out. Just say:¡º Fiole Islebark requested that I get assistance from you. ¡»¡± ¡°¡­Okay, I¡¯ll make sure to remember that.¡± ¡°What an obedient boy. Big sis here likes obedient boys.¡± Saying so, she smiled with satisfaction. * * * * * A few hours of traveling to the capital later. Riding on the back of Fiole¡¯s monster, it dropped me off right at the entrance and left me with no choice but to continue to go by foot. ¡°Oh~ You¡¯re here at last, you tardy devil.¡± With a jerk, I suddenly found myself gripped by someone on my shoulder. I had a feeling that there was someone behind me, but I never dreamed that it was someone I knew. I was too scared to turn around, but the voice I heard was most likely Lilea¡¯s. And soon, the grip of the hand on my shoulder gradually increased. What I heard after was a heartless, mish-mash of sounds coming from it¡­ It hurt quite badly. ¡°Sofia-chan already grew out horns with her hair at feet¡¯s length waiting for you!¡± What kind of monster is that? I thought to myself, but judging from the voice that was currently shaking my eardrums, I had the feeling that she wouldn¡¯t get the joke and all. So I decided to keep my mouth shut and not engage in conversation. I had unconditionally dismissed going home to the village as an option, given how my father would beat me up if I did, but I regretted not even trying to lie about not feeling well even with the risk of him still beating me up from the bottom of my heart. * * * * * END OF FIRST COUR* * * * * Chapter 41 Star-Slaying Swordsman [Translator ¨C Niel] [Proofreader ¨C DVN-L ] Chapter 41 * * * * * ¡ªIt was a quiet night filled with countless stars shining in the sky. A deserted night in the capital, so quiet that even the creaking of one¡¯s bones could be heard. The night sky, devoid of a single cloud, clearly illuminated the shadow of a single person. ¡°¡ªKuhihi¡­¡± In the midst of the deserted city, the shadow laughed viciously, and his eyes narrowed with a smile that split his cheeks. Dripping from his hand was a sticky, viscous liquid. The man¡¯s eyes were filled with joy as he gazed down at his work, savoring the peculiar smell of rusted iron, befitting something as unique as blood. ¡­It was indeed a madness-filled city at night, unbeknownst to everyone. The next day, a certain magician was found dead in a cesspool within the capital. And from that very day, incidents of magicians being found dead in the capital continued to occur every five days, and various rumors began to circulate. People gradually started to believe that all of it was the work of a ¡°Magician Hunter.¡± * * * * * ¡°¡ªMagician Hunter, you say?¡± It was noontime, and with the sun shining down on me from above, I asked Lilea, a female swordsman, as we dined in a restaurant in the capital. ¡°Yes, a ¡®Magician Hunter.¡¯ You were traveling to Minaura alone at that time so you may not know this, but there have been some disturbing rumors spreading all over the capital recently.¡± Deliberate murders targeting only magicians. Lilea filled me in on the details in a sarcastic tone. It had been two weeks since I left Minaura. And just when I thought that it was about time things cooled down, I found that the two of them were still holding their grudge against me. Especially Sofia who was sitting next to me, only stabbing her lunch with a fork and throwing it into her mouth without saying even a single word. In the end, I only got a big ¡°no¡± when I tried to get her forgiveness about the recklessness I did regarding the Minaura incident, with Lilea only disappointingly saying that I could¡¯ve at least let her know, but I didn¡¯t. ¡°The only ones getting killed are ¡®magicians,¡¯ and to be precise, one of those very ¡®magicians¡¯ is killed every five days.¡± So in terms of the cycle, the next magician will get killed the day after tomorrow, Lilea spat out in disgust. ¡°Five people have already been killed, but there¡¯s no sign of the knights making a move at all¡­ I wonder what the hell they are up to¡­¡± ¡°Now that I remember it, I haven¡¯t seen Lowe nor Joshua for a couple of days now.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re curious about what those two were up to, they went away for a request about escorting certain people. I got left out because, in this day and age, magicians are more of a nuisance than they are an asset.¡± That¡¯s why I¡¯m having a leisurely meal with you guys, she complained. The unidentified ¡®Magician Hunter¡¯ probably kills magicians for a specific reason. Although the cycle was now being carried out once every five days, there was no telling when this cycle will be broken. Therefore, if the request was to escort magicians, which was the cause for concern in the first place, we would have to do our best to keep them safe. And from what I¡¯d heard, it seemed to be a perfectly reasonable idea. ¡°It would be less concerning had that hunter chose to hunt us two, given that we are well-versed at close combat, but there¡¯s also a good chance that he might choose to target a non-combat-oriented magician like Sofia. So for the time being, I¡¯d like the three of us to stay together.¡± Lilea said that as long as the three of us stick together, we will be less likely to be targeted by this unidentified person, or a group, had they been working with others. *** [Translator ¨C Niel ] [Proofreader ¨C DVN-L ] *** And finally, I realized. The reason why Lilea invited me and Sofia to have a meal together was to talk about this. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll go along with your proposal.¡± There was no reason for me to refuse. Besides, I still owe Sofia an apology, who was still not in a good mood. And as long as it was for Sofia¡¯s benefit, I have no reason to refuse. ¡°It¡¯s decided, then. I already talked with Sofia about this while you were gone, so I was just waiting for your response.¡± Was it when I was fighting the Jabberwock with Siva in Minaura, or was it while I was still on my way there? I wasn¡¯t quite sure what was going on, but I knew that if I said anything, I would just end up in a heap of trouble, so I just kept my mouth shut and let it slide. ¡°Well, then, I know this is sudden, but I wonder if I could ask you to help me out with this request.¡± Saying so, Lilea took out a piece of paper from her chest pocket. And that paper was a written subjugation request. ¡°We¡¯re already working together now, so I¡¯d be a fool not to put my swordsmanship to use with you, wouldn¡¯t I?¡± Although we were good friends with Lilea and her companions, Sofia and I weren¡¯t adventurers like them. And so I attempted to tell her that it might be a bad idea to accept a request given that the two of us aren¡¯t adventurers just yet, but: ¡°I forgot to mention, but don¡¯t bother with the small details.¡± ¡°¡­I haven¡¯t said anything yet, though.¡± ¡°You¡¯re very disciplined in a weird way, so it¡¯s easy to read you like an open book.¡± It was a perfectly valid thought, but for some reason, she saw right through me, hence why I was taken aback. ¡°¡­It¡¯s still a lot of time before we accept this request, but do you have any plans later?¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°There¡¯s one person I¡¯d like you to meet.¡± But that person could only come at night, she said with a laugh. And given that it¡¯s still a lot of time before we could officially do the request, she told me that it¡¯d be a good way to kill time. ¡°Are you interested in defeating a certain monster, Julius?¡± ¡°¡­A certain monster?¡± The image that immediately popped into my mind was that lump of insanity, the Jabberwock. However, I thought it was too unlikely, so I eliminated it from the list of possibilities. ¡°Since the hunt for magicians started, more and more magicians like me are being shunned by party members. The rumored ¡®Magician Hunter¡¯ has already killed two-well known military figures, after all.¡± Therefore, the perception that he was an opponent ordinary people couldn¡¯t compete with had already spread. Unless they were on good terms with each other, she said, no one welcomed magicians with open arms. She also said that because of this, many magicians, who would normally be valuable, have been left out of their respective parties. ¡°As a result, the prevailing sentiment was for everyone to keep quiet for the time being, but then one person spoke up.¡± Being alone carries the risk of being targeted. If that is the case, why not put together a group of magicians? And if we¡¯re already grouping up in the first place, why don¡¯t we defeat a monster? Not just a small, regular one, but the biggest monster of them all. ¡°¡ªHis name¡­ is Amseth. It¡¯s up to you to decide whether or not you want to take me up on the offer, but would you be interested in hearing what I have to say?¡± Chapter 42 [Translator ¨C Niel] [Proofreader ¨C DVN-L ] Chapter 42 * * Battle instincts gradually sharpen more and more with each passing time. Swinging your sword in an exaggerated manner will result in potentially wrecking your limbs, while throwing out your weapon absentmindedly would only make your opponent scatter further away from you than it already was. Thus, the best solution is to follow your instincts and swing your sword. A mere swing of the sword, without any desire to exploit your enemy, will be the decisive blow and finish it all. As if to shake the water from an umbrella clean, I swung my sword with a fwoosh, ridding the blood as I splattered it all over the ground. A strange smell pervaded the area, so much so that one couldn¡¯t help but scrunch up their nose before it. The smell being none other than the smell of rusted iron and dead flesh. A crimson color soon stained the earth, its color reminiscent of the red sky that shone above us, while Sofia could only groan from shock as she stood beside me. ¡°¡­You just keep getting stronger and stronger, don¡¯t you?¡± Lilea said nonchalantly, seeing me, who had taken the initiative on my own and had wiped out all the monsters mentioned in the subjugation request without difficulty. ¡°Well, I can¡¯t just throw my weapon at them and swing my sword however I like, so I had to properly close the distance for me to actually slay them.¡± So it shouldn¡¯t really take that much time, I said. The projectiles that I had long practiced weren¡¯t even able to scratch the monster that Fiole had named ¡°Pii-chan.¡± All the while, I wasn¡¯t even able to engage the Jabberwock in close distance properly, and even my best attempt to deliver a ¡®Shooting Star¡¯ only sliced the tip of its tail¡­ What¡¯s more, that wound from the blow I sacrificed both my arms to deliver healed just as quickly as I unleashed it. Considering what I¡¯d been through, getting close enough to these monsters was like child¡¯s play. Swing my sword and I will be able to slay; if it requires throwing projectiles, so be it. Although, there weren¡¯t any high-speed blows like the ones that used to slip through a momentary lapse of my consciousness, and knowing that fact disappointed me a little. ¡°¡­I knew that you went to Minaura, but what kind of monsters have you actually fought there?¡± By nature, people recognize that we are blessed with things that we always take for granted, and it was something that I wasn¡¯t able to do in Minaura. Perhaps interpreting it that way, Lilea¡¯s face scrunched up in a different way than Sofia¡¯s. ¡°The monsters that I fought there were outright insane. Had it been just me alone in that place, I would¡¯ve already died the moment I stepped foot in there. I¡¯m only alive this way just because I was lucky enough to meet the people that I met there.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯d bet so. The monsters of Minaura are infamous for being incredibly strong.¡± The cursed town, as people liked to call it. It¡¯s notorious for its infamy, which is well known by many, it seemed. ¡°It¡¯s just I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re thinking, especially when you¡¯re this good at fighting.¡± ¡°Are you referring to my reply to your offer?¡± ¡°Is there anything else?¡± ¡°Well, no¡­ I just wanted to make sure.¡± It was the reply I gave to the offer about defeating a certain monster that Lilea had mentioned. After she told me about the story of defeating a certain monster that one adventurer, who called himself Amseth, had voiced to her, I had chosen the option of refusing the offer rather than accepting it. And it seems that Lilea, a fellow sword maniac, couldn¡¯t comprehend my reason for doing so. ¡°¡­Are you perhaps holding back because of me?¡± Wondering if it was the threat of bloodshed before her eyes, Sofia asked shyly, turning her face slightly away from me. ¡°No, not even a little bit.¡± I replied without even a moment¡¯s hesitation. And immediately afterward, she stepped on the top of my foot as hard as she possibly could. ¡­What do you want me to do, then? ¡°But don¡¯t you think it¡¯s a unique opportunity to get stronger?¡± ¡°Yeah, I believe so. But it¡¯s just not the kind of situation I¡¯m looking for¡­¡± Because first of all, when I wield my sword, no matter how big or small, I need a proper reason. And secondly, I seek the struggle where there¡¯s an opportunity for me to exceed my own limits. The short way to becoming a ¡®Star Slayer¡¯ is to keep overcoming the obstacles that stand in front of me. ¡°To be honest, I think I¡¯m more interested in the ¡®Magician Hunter¡¯ than defeating that monster.¡± *** [Translator ¨C Ramen ] [Proofreader ¨C DVN-L ] Join our discord for updates on releases! *** I had my reasons. Knowing that the ¡®Magician Hunter¡¯ was killing high-profile magicians one-sidedly, I couldn¡¯t help but to want to keep my magician childhood friend, Sofia, safe from harm¡¯s way. Thus, the first and second conditions had been met. And to me, the idea of doing so was much more appealing than a bunch of magicians gathering to defeat a monster together, despite the idea of working together to overcome such an enemy. I wasn¡¯t willing to go the usual path, given that I carved my own, so what I needed to work on was overcoming my own set of walls and obstacles. ¡°Besides, catching the ¡®Magician Hunter¡¯ grants a big reward, right? Won¡¯t that be more worthwhile?¡± ¡°¡­But, no one even knows what that person looks like, sounds like, or even their sex.¡± Lilea couldn¡¯t help but be dumbfounded. No matter how much of a bounty the ¡®Magician Hunter¡¯ had, I had no clues to go on. ¡°Well, yeah¡­¡± It remained the biggest problem. ¡°But there¡¯s only one way to find out what the ¡®Magician Hunter¡¯ looks like.¡± ¡°¡­Are you saying that you¡¯re going to use yourself as bait?¡± My answer came immediately, and I nodded in agreement. Are you kidding me? She looked at me as if she was too dumbfounded to say anything. ¡°If I remember correctly, the next time he¡¯ll appear is the day after tomorrow. So if I walk down the night city all by myself, there¡¯ll be a good chance that I¡¯ll run into him.¡± ¡°You¡¯re aware that you could get yourself killed, right?¡± ¡°But it¡¯s the quickest way.¡± ¡°¡­I suppose so.¡± The reason why Lilea maintained her reluctance about this topic was probably because she was certain that those renowned military people weren¡¯t easily defeated and could be killed by mere surprise alone. And the most important thing to keep in mind was that no matter how careful I was in my attempts to intercept the Magician Hunter, there was a high probability that I¡¯ll fail. ¡°¡ªI think that¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°¡­Sofia-chan?¡± Then, Sofia, who had been quietly listening to the conversation, finally raised her voice, and it was, surprisingly, in support of my point of view. ¡°It¡¯s because no matter what we tell Julius, he won¡¯t listen. And no matter how much we disagree about your plan here, you¡¯re still going to act selfishly and do as you please without even letting us know anything, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°¡­Kgh¡ª¡± I was at a loss for words. I couldn¡¯t agree more with her, because somewhere in my mind, I had a feeling that what was going to happen would be just as she said. ¡°If so, it would be better if we knew what you were doing, since it would be easier for us to help.¡± We¡¯d known each other for all our lives, and just so happened that she knew me all too well. A single whack from her would¡¯ve already stopped me from going to Minaura. ¡°¡­It¡¯s true, that¡¯s probably the best way to go about it.¡± I was a fool who willingly went to Minaura despite the reputation it has. Moreover, the reason why I went there was based on the fact that I thought I needed to become stronger as soon as possible in order to slay the stars. Therefore, it was just impossible to change my opinion by making a good argument. ¡°¡­I mean, after just a month and a bit of not seeing you, it had completely slipped my mind. The only thing that was clear to me was that you weren¡¯t normal, so I shouldn¡¯t be really surprised.¡± I shrugged my shoulders and laughed at her words. Fundamentally, when human beings take risks, they always try to go ahead with a ¡°rational¡± reason in mind. To protect something. To help other people. To fulfill a mission that has been imposed on them, and so on. It¡¯s what common sense and what the world calls a natural thing to do. So it¡¯s all the more reason to call someone who declares that he¡¯s willing to venture out and risk losing his own life an insane person. And for this very reason, I can¡¯t fully expect that my way of thinking would be understood, given that it greatly differs from other people. ¡°I forgot that you¡¯re an idiot who fought a mutant ogre with a mere piece of stick and genuinely enjoyed every single part of it.¡± Although it sounded good to say that I was running towards a goal that lies endlessly ahead, to put it bluntly¡ª I was nothing more than a loser. ¡°Besides, you¡¯ve already messed around enough when you went to Minaura. If you repeat the same thing and end up dying, I won¡¯t care, so remember that.¡± ¡°I feel like someone has told me something similar back in Minaura.¡± ¡°¡­You¡¯re still the same old reckless idiot I met two years ago.¡± ¡°Compliments won¡¯t get you anywhere, Lilea.¡± ¡°¡­What are you on about now?¡± Lilea, who had been staring at my face, then let out a deep sigh upon hearing my remark. ¡ª¡ª Join our discord for updates on releases! ¡ª¡ª Chapter 43 [Translator ¨C Niel] [Proofreader ¨C DVN-L] Chapter 43 ¡°¡­If that¡¯s what you really intend to do, then we¡¯re going to have to be prepared for anything, and you better report back to me as soon as possible.¡± It¡¯s impossible to persuade you even with a sound argument, so I¡¯m just going to leave you be. Lilea finally agreeing to Sofia¡¯s opinion, turned her eyes away from me to the monsters horribly spread across the ground. ¡°We¡¯re still going to need to bring magic stones located around those monsters¡¯ hearts with us as proof that we really finished the subjugation request, though¡­¡± Lilea then shifted her gaze to Sofia. ¡°No, no, no, no, no way!! I can¡¯t do it!! I¡­ just can¡¯t¡­¡± With a sudden horrified tone, Sofia started to shake her head from side to side at a speed that would surprise even a broken tin doll. What laid in front of her was an appalling sight to see. And faced with a devastation that would make any normal human being cower in fear, she thoroughly rejected the idea of her rummaging through a lump of dismantled monsters. ¡°¡­As expected.¡± Sofia was the kind of person who¡¯d immediately vomit at the mere sight of blood. Granted, it was the blood of a monster, not of a human, so I could agree that it was still a physiologically repulsive smell. ¡°You knew she couldn¡¯t handle blood and stuff, so why didn¡¯t you kill them in a little less gruesome manner?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a slayer, so I just did what I had to do.¡± Hence the reason why I told her that there was no way I could¡¯ve chosen such a delicate way of killing them. ¡­No matter how much I grumbled about how I didn¡¯t want to touch the monsters¡¯ blood myself too, given its visceral smell, there wasn¡¯t any room for further conversation. The conversation ended there, and I merely had to clean up my own mess. * * Located in the capital was a street named ¡°Central Street¡± where crowds of people come and go. I was following Lilea¡¯s lead as she guided me to the guild, mindful that I did not have a map of the capital in my head. Until I felt my shoulder bump into something. ¡°¡ªOh¡ª¡± The person I bumped into was quite in a hurry. Not only did he have a good amount of strength, but he was also bigger than me, causing me to involuntarily fall on my buttocks. Lilea turned around to look over her shoulder, perhaps in response to my sudden exclamation, while Sofia on the other hand, was trying to give me a hand to help me get up. I was about to express my own apologies when a voice suddenly interrupted me. ¡°Oops, I¡¯m sorry. Are you alright?¡± He noticed that I fell to the ground. The man I bumped into stopped, turned around, and expressed his concern for me. A gray-haired young man with a lively and invigorating impression. His looks were the complete opposite of Siva, who I met on my way to Minaura. ¡°I just fell on my butt, so I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡± I said just so as I grabbed Sofia¡¯s outstretched hands. He wore a very pleased smile on his face, so I guess he really didn¡¯t take any offense to our encounter. I meant to tell him to not worry about it in an attempt to continue going our separate businesses again, until suddenly¡­ ¡°¡ªAmseth.¡± That statement was immediately dropped as she quickly followed up with a question asking why he was in this kind of place. Amseth. It was a name I had heard only recently. Therefore, I immediately had an idea as to who it was. ¡°Is that Lilea over there? What a coincidence meeting you here, are these children perhaps with you?¡± ¡°Well, yes, they are.¡± ¡°Hmm~ Then this boy is¡­¡± Not long after, the young man called Amseth then inspected me from head to toe as if he was trying to price me out of the market. ¡°This is just perfect, then. It just so happens that a change of plans has freed up some of my time. If you don¡¯t have any plans for the rest of the day, maybe you¡¯d be interested in talking with me at some place where you can sit down. What do you think?¡± ¡°¡­With you¡­?¡± ¡°Yes, with me.¡± What happened next was a short staredown, with Amseth trying to curve the corners of his eyes in a fashion to get a response from me. It could be his tone of voice or the current atmosphere we were currently in, but perhaps it was because he was a little bit similar to another noble person I knew¡ª Fiole Islebark. I stood there in speechless awe. *** [Translator ¨C Niel ] [Proofreader ¨C DVN-L ] Join our discord for updates on releases! *** ¡°I heard from Lilea that you want to be strong?¡± Lilea had told Amseth something about me, apparently. ¡°¡­Well, yes.¡± ¡°In that case, it would be a good experience to work with us, then. As of now, more than twenty magicians are already planning to take part. I¡¯m sure there are many things you can learn from them.¡± Indeed, Amseth¡¯s words were a perfect argument without even a sliver of a doubt, but sadly, in my eyes, his offer was still unappealing to me. And the reason why was straightforward. It was because of my undeniable nature. My nature is such that I consider the fighting skills of the ¡®¡¯ to be supreme, and I had dismissed everything else as merely unnecessary. I wa well aware that learning was important. I was also well aware that I would become stronger by partaking in his offer. However, learning from such a man who devoted all his life into slaying the stars to the extent of being called a ¡°monster¡± just wasn¡¯t worthy of comparison to the things that I might learn from other people. And as long as I had the time to learn from the man of my memories, I¡¯d be significantly stronger by the time that I practiced his techniques, and I¡¯d be once again a step closer to slaying the stars myself. I just had to push myself to my own limits, I convinced myself of this. ¡°And you¡¯re still particularly young, too, so how about just lending an ear to what I have to say?¡± From what I¡¯d heard from Lilea, Amseth was probably a magician as well. And as far as words went, he must be a good person. Seeing how much I could tell from his words how courteous he was trying to be, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder just what Lilea told him about me. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ how about we talk in that store over there?¡± Amseth then pointed his fingers at a sweets store. ¡°I¡¯m acquainted with the owner of that store. We¡¯re already going to talk, so why don¡¯t we do it while eating some sweets?¡± Regardless of how friendly and affably he smiled at me, unfortunately, I¡¯d already decided on my answer. But just before I voiced out my apology¡ª ¡°¡ªSurely, we¡¯ll be glad to go with you!¡± A voice came from somewhere. And of course, it wasn¡¯t mine. It emanated from the mouth of a girl whose eyes were suddenly brighter than ever¡ª Sofia. ¡­I wondered why. Not long after, I felt a finger poke my shoulder and a whisper to my ear. ¡°¡­That store is very popular and always packed with people.¡± It was information I didn¡¯t need to know. I was so uninterested I could only think of the words, ¡°Oh¡­ so?¡± ¡°Oh¡­ so?¡± It slipped out of my mouth¡­ I then heard a grumble, and apparently, my answer wasn¡¯t what Sofia was looking for. ¡°¡­You left me and went instead to Minaura, you now come here late and only do whatever you want¡­ I¡¯m going to tell your father all of this.¡± ¡°¡­H- Hey!¡± I shuddered involuntarily. She went on and on spouting off some horrible things that I was guilty of. ¡­I could only imagine what would happen to me had she really snitched on me. A future where my own dad and the village chief beat me up together, a future where I become a sandbag. ¡°¡­¡± If I accepted Amseth¡¯s proposal, I could go back to Sofia¡¯s good graces, was what I thought of this situation. Regardless of all that, I couldn¡¯t nod my head in agreement easily, as I wasn¡¯t sure to just shake my decision to decline his offer despite the benefit I¡¯d get. Until¡­ ¡°¡ªIf you¡¯re really set on refusing my offer, then I, for one, would very much like to know the reason why. I want to know your honest opinion, an out-of-standard boy who can defeat a mutant ogre by himself despite being against all the odds.¡± Being told that, I reflexively turned my attention to Lilea. ¡°¡­I didn¡¯t tell him anything.¡± ¡°Yes, Lilea didn¡¯t tell me anything. I only asked her if he would like to ask her acquaintance, a boy who is a magician, for his participation in a subjugation event.¡± He added with a mischievous laugh that Lilea and her companions being acquainted with a boy who defeated a mutant ogre on his own was already a well-known fact. ¡°Talking to people is my favorite pastime despite how I look. So do you think you can lend me an ear now?¡± ¡­So these were his true colors, huh? It seemed that Amseth could see that I was hesitant to give him a positive response. Seeing the real state of things, I finally gave him my answer. ¡°¡­Yes, let¡¯s talk.¡± ¡ª¡ª Join our discord for updates on releases! ¡ª¡ª Chapter 44 [Translator ¨C Niel] [Proofreader ¨C DVN-L ] Chapter 44 ¡°¡ªIt¡¯s because this is something I already decided on a long time ago.¡± Sofia¡¯s eyes lit up as she stepped into the premises of the popular sweets store named ¡®Prossol.¡¯ As soon as Amseth spoke with the owner of the place, we left Sofia enjoying her dessert at a table in the back of the restaurant. And I told him properly that I couldn¡¯t accept his offer. ¡°I¡¯m not saying that steadily trying to accumulate experience and building up one¡¯s resume is wrong. Because in fact, it couldn¡¯t be more correct, and I¡¯m the one here with a distorted way of thinking. However, I think that becoming strong in a reasonable manner will only get you ¡®strength¡¯ within the realm of normality.¡± What I just said was a reference to one of the words that the ¡®¡¯ in my memory used to utter to his best friend. ¡°The title ¡®strongest¡¯ that I¡¯m looking for is the ¡®strongest¡¯ because it¡¯s outside the standards of what people call natural or normal. The ¡®strongest¡¯ because it¡¯s a peak that can¡¯t be reached very easily.¡± There was no room for any unspoken firmness, so I decided to say it all. ¡°¡­I see your point. But if that¡¯s indeed the case, then it makes it even more difficult to comprehend.¡± Amseth was understanding enough to accept that I had my own reasons for saying what I was saying. However, the reluctance he showed was the same. ¡°If you want to be strong, you have to become more greedy. Take everything you can get and own the experience. You are free to take risks, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a wise choice to recklessly move forward without knowing what you could gain.¡± He was right. Completely right on. If someone¡¯s goal was to be strong, the right thing to follow was to do what Amseth just said. ¡°I suppose so.¡± So, I confirmed. Even if it resulted in undermining my own ideas, the fact was that I, of all people, understood that Amseth¡¯s point of view was more correct. I acknowledged that Amseth¡¯s point of view was in fact more correct, even if it may result in the discrediting of my own values. However, as the ¡®Star-Slayer¡¯ had already proven, being the ¡®strongest¡¯ isn¡¯t so easy to be reached, even by those who do the right thing in the right way. Hence, I¡ª ¡°You¡¯re well aware of that fact, so why¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s simply because I don¡¯t want to get comfortable with my own confidence. I just want the fact that I broke my arm, almost died, and was still lucky enough to win as I broke my own limitations, to matter the most.¡± You win by surpassing your own strength and exceeding your limits. That¡¯s what it means to overcome your own wall, and going through it means knowing that you will undoubtedly not come out of it unscathed. If you¡¯re dying, you can never have confidence in your own strength, nor pride in yourself. You¡¯re set to die, after all. ¡°By doing so, I¡¯d have less and less room for self-confidence. It also gives me the feeling of real and genuine ¡°fear¡± of actually dying the next time that I fight. What I¡¯m looking for is a mere cycle of that.¡± Amseth had an expression that said he did not understand what I said at all. It was unlike Sofia and Lilea laughing in dismay as they ate their own sweets, saying how persistent I was when it came to the things that I wanted. ¡°¡­Only death awaits the reckless.¡± ¡°But I¡¯ve learned firsthand that there¡¯s a summit that only awaits the reckless.¡± And that is¡ª being a ¡®Star-Slayer.¡¯ Therefore, no matter how much I knew that my thoughts were nothing but stupidity, I couldn¡¯t change them. Once you have become addicted to the poison of longing, you will never be able to get out of it. ¡°In my opinion, it¡¯s much easier to die if you¡¯re not very confident about your own capabilities.¡± Thus, I spit out that I wasn¡¯t interested in defeating monsters and getting results and rewards without substance in the midst of a bunch of magicians who had no sense of urgency in what they did. ¡°I still don¡¯t intend on changing my ways¡­ so I humbly reject your invitation.¡± I concluded. But not long after¡­ *** [Translator ¨C Niel ] [Proofreader ¨C DVN-L ] Join our discord for updates on releases! *** ¡°¡ªHeh¡ª Haha¡­ HAHAHAHAHAHA!! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA!!!!!¡± A burst of intermittent laughter sounded through the air. I gave my answer in the most serious manner I could, but somehow, all I got was a big laugh from Amseth himself. ¡°¡­Oh, sorry about that. I wasn¡¯t trying to make fun of you or anything, I just found that idea so incredibly intriguing. I knew my instinct to talk to you like this was right all along.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± Amidst all the stares from the customers around me, I tilted my head with a question mark on my face. I knew it was a thought that was hard to understand, but I wondered if it was something worth overreacting to. ¡°I guess you could call it my magician¡¯s intuition. When I look at a magician, I can always tell if they look particularly intriguing, or something like that.¡± I think it may have something to do with the fact that I myself am a magician of the prophetic lineage, he added casually. ¡ªProphetic lineage. I wondered if there was such a thing, and I guess my interest showed on my face. ¡°Hmm¡­? Are you perhaps¡­ interested in my magic? Well, prophetic magic is particularly rare. So how about now? Do you feel like working together with us now and trying to find out what my magic is in the process?¡± ¡°¡­No, thank you.¡± ¡°How cold of you.¡± Amseth then flashed a light-hearted smile at me, unwavering. ¡°What do the three of you plan to do from now on, then?¡± The world was currently rife with a phenomenon known as ¡°Magician Hunting.¡± Regardless of how much you¡¯re surrounded by other people, it must¡¯ve been hard for magicians to operate. Perhaps with this in mind, Amseth was asking questions not only to me, but also to Lilea and Sofia. ¡°¡ªWell, I¡¯m interested in the ¡®Magician Hunter¡¯ and all that¡­¡± I wondered if he thought that since he was the eldest among the four of us, he had the right to decide for us. Without a hint of concern, I immediately responded, to which he stared at me with surprised eyes. ¡°I always thought that I¡¯d like to fight whoever¡¯s responsible for the death of the magicians at least once, so I thought that it¡¯s a good opportunity. Besides, we can¡¯t just leave such a dangerous person alone, can we?¡± When I apologetically said these words filled with a sense of justice that was unlike me, I heard a laugh from somewhere, as if to say that I was lying. That laugh could¡¯ve come from Lilea, Amseth, hell, even Sofia. ¡­The fact was left unknown, but what I was certain about was that the laughter didn¡¯t come from one, sole person. ¡°Well, that¡¯s true too. We¡¯re gathering magicians together to help each other out against the ¡®Magician Hunter¡¯ in the first place.¡± If the magicians were concentrated in one place, the ¡®Magician Hunter¡¯ couldn¡¯t do his deed very easily. It was just as he said. ¡°But, yes. If you¡¯re set on fighting with that certain hunter, I¡¯ll give you one piece of advice. From start to finish, expect that your eyes will be useless.¡± ¡°¡­Do you know who that is?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve only heard about rumors, though. Apparently, the enemy we¡¯re talking about uses magic to make himself invisible.¡± A very assassin-like magic, he says. ¡°No matter how experienced warriors they have been, they can¡¯t do anything if they can¡¯t see their opponent. And given that they were caught off guard, they were nothing more than mere scarecrows. No wonder they got killed.¡± He added that it was also a man of skill who could reap the life of his target with a single blow, on top of his formidable armor. ¡°¡­¡± The gap in my open mouth closed upon hearing this. ¡°Did I frighten you?¡± ¡°¡ªYou sure love your jokes.¡± I smiled ferociously at Amseth, who looked at me in complete silence and voiced what seemed to be a perfectly natural comment. The reason I kept my mouth shut was because I was holding back. It was never because I was frightened. Invisibility magic. And on top of such magic, he¡¯s also no less skilled than a great fighter of the past. ¡ªWhat an enemy we had here right now. I shuddered at the unexpected good fortune that had come my way. ¡°¡­You just don¡¯t understand, don¡¯t you? That kind of information can only work against you.¡± Truly, it was just as Lilea had said, who had barged in the conversation, but to me, it was no less than the opposite. For those who pursued strength, the battle against the strong and the hard-earned sustenance was something they never ceased to seek. Therefore, the stronger he was, the more convenient it was for someone like me. ¡°Why are you so set on Julius-kun joining your group anyway? If you really wanted him to do so, you shouldn¡¯t have given away that information.¡± There were satisfactory reasons for me to fight. That was why there was no need to be afraid. ¡°¡ªThat¡¯s what I¡¯ve been meaning to say. Above all, if I turn my back on such a strong opponent, being the ¡®strongest¡¯ would just be nothing but a pipe dream. Don¡¯t you agree with me, Amseth-san?¡± ¡ª¡ª Join our discord for updates on releases! ¡ª¡ª Chapter 45 [Translator ¨C Niel] [Proofreader ¨C DVN-L] Chapter 45 ¡°¡ªSo, what in the hell are you going to do?¡± ¡°About what?¡± ¡°¡­About the ¡°Magician Hunter,¡± of course.¡± It was the first thing that Lilea asked right after we left the popular sweets store named ¡°Prossol¡± as we walked. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of invisibility magic, but if such magic is really possessed by someone, namely someone like the ¡®Magician Hunter,¡¯ it¡¯s definitely more than plausible.¡± ¡°I bet so, but let¡¯s assume that person really possesses such magic. In that case, there must be some kind of flaw accompanying that magic, right?¡± It was one of the pieces of knowledge about magic Lilea had taught me during my two-year grace period before going to the capital. ¡ªThere is absolutely no magic without a flaw, and so we came to a conclusion. For example, my magic,¡ºSword: Creation¡»is flawed in a way that it can only produce a sword right next to one¡¯s own limb. Fiole¡¯s¡ºCorpse Puppet: Marionette¡»cannot be used to another magician¡¯s corpse. I didn¡¯t know much about Viera nor Siva¡¯s, but they must have some kind of flaw too, one way or another. It¡¯s an ¡°absolute¡± element that accompanies all magic, as per Lilea¡¯s teachings. ¡°¡­You¡¯re right. There are probably a flaw or two, but¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªWe can make things work out then.¡± I interrupted Lilea with my hopeful optimism. ¡°Besides, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s much scarier if he remained anonymous all the time? If he can indeed hide in plain sight, it¡¯d be pointless for magicians to run away and hide. Then I think it¡¯s better to be an imposing bait in his once every five days cycle.¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s an unusually sound argument coming from an insane person like you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m certain that I¡¯m always giving out sound arguments, though.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s your definition of being sound and rational, then you better work on changing it.¡± I was taken aback by Lilea¡¯s blunt remark. ¡°¡ªBut with all that being said, our schedule ended unexpectedly early.¡± Lilea looked up at the sky. The time was a little past noon, but the sun hadn¡¯t started to set just yet. The scheduled meeting with Amseth about teaming up had been dealt with, and so all our initial plans were over. The only thing left to do was to head over to the guild to submit our proof of completing the subjugation. ¡°Is there anything in particular you want to do?¡± I guess she was concerned about the fact that I had just arrived in the capital. Lilea asked me if there was anything I wanted to do, but unlike Sofia, I didn¡¯t have any interest in certain places. So I pondered for a moment, but no good answer came to mind. Perhaps seeing my mouth tight as a knot, she immediately followed up. ¡°¡­Oh, now that I remember it, Sofia-chan here has improved her magic a lot since then, you know?¡± A sudden change of topic. Lilea suddenly mentioned Sofia¡¯s name, the person who hadn¡¯t been trying to join in the conversation. ¡°I¡¯m sure she can heal a few wounds quickly now.¡± ¡°That¡¯s definitely an improvement.¡± I had seen Sofia try and experiment in her own way during my two-year grace period, but according to Lilea, it seems that she has become even better at using her magic since coming to the capital. ¡°So depending on Sofia¡¯s response¡ª¡± Lilea¡¯s gaze shifted to Sofia as she said this. ¡°¡ªI¡¯ll gladly help and tag along with you two if you want. I have to use my magic regularly too, or else my skills will get dull.¡± She said with a clang, and the clang was from Lilea slightly lifting the hilt of her sword that she had been holding at her waist the whole time. I thought that proposal would be more beneficial to me than aimlessly wasting my time wandering in the capital on my own. The problem, however, was the part where Lilea surrendered all the authority to Sofia into making the decision. *** [Translator ¨C Niel ] [Proofreader ¨C DVN-L ] Join our discord for updates on releases! *** ¡°¡­Hmm¡­¡± The two of us set our gazes on Sofia. And the person in question let out a troubled groan. ¡°That¡¯s all fine with me, but I do have one condition.¡± A condition, once again. ¡°If you lose to Lilea-san in a duel, forget about being the bait for the ¡®Magician Hunter.¡¯ Of course, both of you aren¡¯t allowed to use magic, so no¡ºShooting Star¡»for you too, Julius.¡± ¡­What a ridiculous condition. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s some good condition you got there. If you can¡¯t beat me, how can you even stop the rumored ¡®Magician Hunter?¡¯ I¡¯m on board, let¡¯s do it.¡± Lilea happily concurred, her voice bubbling with joy. ¡°But you should be a little more understanding of Sofia¡¯s feelings. Kidding aside, if what Amseth said was true, you and the ¡°Magician Hunter¡± aren¡¯t a really good match.¡± With Sofia being who she is, she can¡¯t help but be concerned about your well-being, Lilea added. ¡­I knew that without being told. She was furious, and she yelled and punched me hard in the gut for selfishly going to Minaura all on my own after all. ¡ªI¡¯m learning healing magic because I don¡¯t want people who are important to me to die. But if they do something reckless like that without me knowing, there¡¯s really nothing I can do. I already know that I can¡¯t keep you from doing something reckless. But at the very least, don¡¯t be on your own, she said. I couldn¡¯t say anything to her. Even I myself couldn¡¯t refute it, and it was still fresh in my mind that I was beaten by Lilea and others as well. Thanks to those memories, I couldn¡¯t turn down giving Amseth a chance to say what he must. ¡°¡­I know that.¡± Swordsmen are those who wield their swords to cut and slash in hopes of slaying their targets. It¡¯s a general term for those who do just so as their means of attack. They draw one straight line. And there was no such thing as hitting an invisible target in the dark by chance. Amseth also said that even the fiercest warriors become scarecrows before the ¡®Magician Hunter.¡¯ ¡°But I¡¯m afraid your condition is more convenient to me, more so because I prefer doing things at my own pace.¡± Initiating the attack against who would be my worst matchup would be the best. If I should be suddenly attacked like the magicians who had died in the past, I wouldn¡¯t stand a chance at all. ¡°¡­Well, that¡¯s a good argument too.¡± It¡¯s not fair that you can think more rationally than anyone else at a time like this, is it? Lilea said as she reproachfully stared me in the face. ¡°But regardless of your sound arguments, a part of you is still reluctant to act them out fully. You may have only agreed to talk with Amseth earlier because you owe Sofia a big one, but I¡¯m a swordsman too. I¡¯m not going to go easy on you just because we¡¯re of the same kind.¡± Lilea then began to taunt me. What will you do? Are you going to run away with your tail between your legs, saying you might lose so you won¡¯t even bother to try? She said as she provocatively stared into my eyes. I curved the edge of my mouth ever so softly as my answer. Her response to my smile was: ¡°Oh, I forgot. That was a stupid question to ask you.¡± ¡ªThis is great. ¡°Fufufu, both Lowe and Joshua just refuse to be my training mate. And you don¡¯t know this, but I¡¯ve had a lot on my plate this past month.¡± Frustration, perhaps. One of the main reasons Lilea had been actively looking after me for the past two years was that she wanted a partner with whom she could wield a sword. So basically, she wasn¡¯t taking care of me for my sake, but for herself. It was because I¡¯d make a good training partner for her. In fact, I was the same with her as the two of us trained together every time they visited my village. And thus, it¡¯s all the more reason why I understood her. Although she may appear a rational person, Lilea was just someone like me when you really looked at her core. She¡¯s a certain someone who¡¯s also called¡­ a fighting maniac. ¡ª¡ª Join our discord for updates on releases! ¡ª¡ª Chapter 46 [Translator ¨C Niel] [Proofreader ¨C DVN-L] Chapter 46 It was an open space located in a remote part of the capital. There wasn¡¯t a single soul around, yet the sound of leaves rustling in the wind alone was enough to fill the place with deafening noise. ¡°It¡¯s a nice place, isn¡¯t it?¡± Said Lilea as she led us into this place after we stopped by the guild and submitted our completion of the request. Her hand was already resting on the sheath of her sword. She smiled softly, her demeanor was composed. So much so that she was now in her most natural state with no hint of unease at all. Who would¡¯ve thought that she and I would now clash with each other? ¡°This place, you see, it¡¯s my own secret place. I don¡¯t really want people to see me training or anything.¡± That¡¯s why she spent so much time looking for a place just like this, she added. ¡°Now that I remember it, you went to the infamous Minaura, didn¡¯t you? How was it? How was the ¡®Warrior Princess,¡¯ Viera Islebark?¡± The fact that you asked about Viera right here and now suggests that you really don¡¯t want to hear anything about her personality. What you want to hear about is her strength. ¡°I wonder about that too.¡± ¡°Oh, you didn¡¯t meet her?¡± ¡°We talked. But the only people I fought with were her older sister, Fiole Islebark, and a swordsman named Siva.¡± ¡°Hmm~ I haven¡¯t heard of a swordsman named Siva, but the ¡®Corpse Princess,¡¯ huh?¡± As Siva also said, Fiole is known as the ¡®Corpse Princess.¡¯ To which that very name came out of Lilea¡¯s mouth as if it were a matter of fact. ¡°Were you able to learn anything from that place?¡± ¡°A lot.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°Like realizing my own inexperience, or something?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already heard that before.¡± What a blunt remark. ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yeah. Every time you accomplish something, it¡¯s you gaining the realization of how inexperienced you still are that I always hear.¡± I couldn¡¯t deny it because it was really the truth. All I could do was cover it with a smile. ¡°¡­Well, whatever. I didn¡¯t really expect you to be honest with me. I¡¯ll just have to see for myself what you¡¯re learned and how you¡¯ve grown.¡± And soon after those words, a clang immediately followed suit. The sound was none other than the sound of a sheath falling to the ground. I squinted my eyes. ¡°¡ºSword: Creation¡»¡± A sword then rested in my right hand. According to Sofia¡¯s rules, we both can¡¯t use magic in this duel. However, since my weapon requires my own magic itself, this would be the only exception throughout our match. In the presence of the alertness and pressure rising from her body, Lilea smiled ferociously, as if she had been waiting for it. But despite her expression, the air that surrounded her was as cold as ice, making the heat of the moment dissipate in the air. Such a premonition came to my mind that if I got even a little bit careless and charged at her head-on too soon, I¡¯ll lose at that very moment. ¡°Now, then. Are you ready?¡± She asked me courteously. But what¡¯s there to say to someone with such relentless murderous intent as her fighting spirit? I just swallowed the words that came to mind and looked at Sofia with a glance, who was waiting a short distance away, and gave her a small nod. ¡°¡ªLet¡¯s begin, then.¡± It was only for a brief moment, but I felt a chill down my spine. Not long after, a bloodlust, befitting of a reaper, pierced through my entirety. But without hesitation and care in the world, I forcefully stepped in, as it was the cue to start. And as soon as I did, a gust of wind swept over me. Lilea¡¯s image, locked in my eyes, suddenly vanished. All that remained was the tapping sound of her footsteps on the ground. Her incoming attack could now come from anywhere. My left, right, front, or even my behind. ¡ªSharpen your senses. Where does the skin that I feel on my skin come from? With only a tenth of a second to think, I concentrated on my ears and relied on my intuition. The attack will probably come from¡ª behind!!! ¡°Aha¡ª!¡± I swung as I turned around without hesitation and intercepted a deadly blade that was about to slice me open. Clang! Neither of our swords was dazzled by the hard exchange of blows. We exchanged blows two and three times more, causing sparks to fall down the earth. Soon after, Lilea, seemingly accustomed to the blows, switched her sword to the opposite hand in less than a second and delivered a thrust that was worthy of a spearman. It was released in a series of raging blows, pouring down like a torrent of rain. Red lines appearing on my cheeks started to drip. ¡°¡ª¡ª¡± *** [Translator ¨C Niel ] [Proofreader ¨C DVN-L ] Join our discord for updates on releases! *** I couldn¡¯t stay defending myself at this pace. Deciding so, I put all my strength into my right foot and started to retreat. But doing so made Lilea¡¯s cold lips turn into a grim grin. But I, too, saw an opportunity and did the same thing. My face also contorted with pleasure. My sword was already up above, anticipating Lilea¡¯s downward swing, who was trying to close in to prevent me from creating distance. ¡ªCrush her. Disregarding the prospect of being blocked, she committed to swinging her sword in my direction. Soon, a hard feeling struck my sword. Our swords long collided against each other, and the vibration from the clash echoed throughout the place. Neither of us wanted to be overpowered, however, the standstill didn¡¯t last long. I intercepted a blow from above with one hand, while I reversed my sword to a backhand grip to the other. In other words, ¡°Fly¡ª away¡ª!!!¡± ¡ªIt was my one definite advantage against her. My ambidexterity. Lilea sneered to me, telling me to pick up the pace, and then proceeded to flash her spirit by retaliating. She gripped the hilt of her sword with such force so much so that it screeched, and came to me by launching her body forward in hopes of winning the exchange by force. But¡ª ¡°¡ªNot so fast, kid.¡± A taunt shook my eardrums. But it doesn¡¯t matter, it¡¯s a complete bluff, so don¡¯t let it get to you. I told myself as the resistance from the sword suddenly disappeared. Her figure was still in front of me, and our swords were still locked together. But before I pondered about the mystery behind what happened, I found out the answer myself. ¡ªShe would do a parry. ¡­No, but why? My brain was flooded with questions as to why she would do so when I attacked her from below at the same time I intercepted her swing from above to keep her from doing the very thing she was about to do. But as I was racking my head confused, Lilea was already successful parrying me. My troubles and confusion were swept away just like she did with my offense. But I decided at this moment that this was no time to fret. ¡°Come on¡ª!!! Here I come!!!¡± Lilea twisted her body like a spring. And right after she parried my previous blow, she immediately swung her sword in a backhanded manner. Lilea politely announcing her next move doesn¡¯t make her a less scary opponent. My whole body was still trying to reset after my whole strategy of attacking from a high point got parried, so my body was basically full of openings like I was purposely trying to get killed. I have to dodge her incoming blow. So dodge. Dodge it. Dodge it. Dodge it. I told myself over and over again, and even forcefully, I was able to throw myself sideways to the ground. And soon after, a blade with a silvery gleam passed right by, slashing the very spot I was frozen standing in earlier. ¡ªWhat a close call¡­!!! I look at Lilea with a sharp gasp. With no time to spare, a silver trail was drawn in front of my eyes once again, and after a moment¡¯s delay, the sound of the wind cutting through the air reached me. And this time, Lilea was the one attacking from above. It was the exact opposite of what had just happened. Exact same blow, behavior, hell, even the arrogance that I showed earlier. If you can parry it just like I did, be my guest. If you can imitate it just like I did, don¡¯t hold back. Her eyes, filled with a dull glow reminiscent of a monster¡¯s, belligerently shot at me. Unleashing a powerful attack from above with all her might, she was looking to crush my skull. ¡°You¡­¡± In terms of pure swordsmanship alone, Lilea was indefinitely a few steps ahead of me. So even if I tried to imitate one of the things she did earlier, she would probably have her own countermeasures in place. I didn¡¯t think I would be able to pull off the same trick as she did. So instead of trying to parry it, I drove my sword towards the sky with all my might in hopes of blocking her incoming attack. An enormous impact came soon after, and an ear-splitting metallic sound resonated throughout the place. ¡°Aha¡ª Hahaha¡­¡± Amidst the battle noises, a burst of rather loud laughter rang out. The impact caused both of us to fall back, slightly dragging our bodies along the way. However, the distance that had already opened up was soon reduced to none as Lilea and I took a giant leap forward. For what seemed to be the thousandth time, Lilea skillfully twisted and turned to avoid my attacks before she could even see them. And before I even knew it, she began to counterattack. ¡°I got you now¡ª!!!¡± It was only what I could describe as a slash at the speed of light. But no matter how long I waited, the sensation of getting slashed never came. What scattered in front of my eyes wasn¡¯t a crimson-colored liquid, but a red flash of sparks, all the result of the clashing of both our swords. We wouldn¡¯t be able to settle this at this pace. And apparently, I wasn¡¯t the only one who felt this way, with a mirror spawning in front of me as the two of us jumped back to retreat at the same time. The next thing I realized was the wheezing sound escaping from my mouth. ¡°¡­This really won¡¯t end that easily, is it?¡± I forced a smile. With a bead of sweat on my forehead, I put together a string of words. ¡°Of course not. For how many years do you think I¡¯ve been wielding a sword? ¡­But, you¡¯ve been really improving at an abnormal pace, if I say so myself.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°¡­I can¡¯t help but be jealous, but I¡¯m just going to enjoy this to the fullest, thinking that I¡¯ve found a good training partner.¡± Saying so with an unladylike smile, Lilea then drew the other sword from her waist and proceeded to drop its sheath to the ground again. ¡ªShe¡¯s a dual wielder. The sword that Lilea wields has a shorter edge than my sword, and it was built for ease of use rather than length of reach. One to the right and another one to the left. Both her swords settled in her hands. There wasn¡¯t any room for her calm and composed demeanor like the one she wore earlier, but what I felt was an extreme sense of intimidation emanating from her body that was heightened by several more notches. Although Lilea doesn¡¯t like to fight with both her swords, given how she gets intoxicated in many ways, the fact that she dared to do so suggested that she really didn¡¯t intend to go easy on her opponent. ¡°Given that I¡¯m always obliged to hold back, I¡¯m going to have twice as much fun as usual now¡ª okay? ¡­Fu¡ª Fufufu¡­ AHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!¡± Loud laughter began to roar as she took strange steps from her right to left. What she let out was what I can only define as a maniacal laugh. Her throat trembled and her body shook with joy, her voice now reverberating in the atmosphere. Eventually, the laughter died with a snap¡ª and at the same time, clods of earth flew into the air from two different directions. That was the cue to resume the fight. A metallic sound echoed soon after. And the sparks that once painted the empty sky began to scatter around the two fight maniacs once again. ¡ª¡ª Join our discord for updates on releases! ¡ª¡ª Chapter 47 [Translator ¨C Niel] [Proofreader ¨C DVN-L] Chapter 47 ¡°Ah¡ª Haha¡­ HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!¡± Her laugh echoed and echoed, and it failed to stop. The sound of the roaring exchange of swords swelled and swelled with each passing second, and already long exceeded the speed beyond what a normal naked eye can keep up with. Both of us surrendered ourselves to our primal instincts, only swinging our swords in anticipation of the most optimal result we could hope for. And although there was a meager basis for proper judgment, even for a moment, our way of ¡°thinking¡± that led to the sounds from the exchange that was left behind was nothing short of suicidal. Therefore, we were in a deadlock. The silver trails poured down on me like an endless hail of rain, her attack¡¯s momentum briefly dissipating, only to be immediately followed by arcs of swords coming towards me from two different directions with even greater speed than it had before. It was a relentless pattern. ¡ªIt was as if she was trying to change the pace. Lilea roared with maniacal laughter and acted as if she had abandoned reason and calmness, but in reality, her fighting style was as rational as can be. But even though I knew in my head that she was just letting her instincts take over, my body couldn¡¯t keep up. What¡¯s more, because of her unique fighting style, I had no choice but to go on the defensive. ¡°You won¡¯t be able to beat me if you turtle up like that, you know?! DO YOU HEAR ME?!¡± ¡°¡ªKgh¡­¡± I was well aware that I had no chance of winning without taking the initiative to attack without being told, it was just that I couldn¡¯t find any opportunity to do so. Thus why I had to patiently wait for an opening to exploit, though Lilea, knowing what I had in mind, only laughed with amusement. Her words, along with her fierce, bloodshot eyes, shot through my entirety. ¡°You have all the audacity to think about that when you can¡¯t even attack back!!!¡± A chain of strikes came in every direction possible, every powerful as they could be. I walked the tightrope just in time, intercepting her attacks as I read their trajectory. Before long, a familiar metallic clang struck my eardrums, followed by two or three more. She taunted me as she spoke, but I knew that Lilea, the person in question, was eagerly waiting for my turn to attack. So even though I thought it would be fun to take advantage of this provocation, I could only do so much. Given the state she was in, she may seem like a person who¡¯s engulfed with pure madness. But in practice, she couldn¡¯t act carelessly given that her natural habit was to fight efficiently at all costs. She attacked in a way devoid of any openings, as if to ask me the same thing I¡¯ve been asking myself¡­ What to do? The more time I spent turtling up, the worse my chances were. If that¡¯s the case, then¡ª ¡°¡ªHeh. AHAHA¡ª¡± It was at the same time I made my decision. And as if she had been waiting for it, Lilea narrowed her eyes and smiled a smile that could only be described as eerie. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s it.¡± She affirmed it. That¡¯s what I¡¯ve been waiting for, she said. She laughed again, with a clearly recognizable glee in her eyes this time. ¡­I wasn¡¯t happy about doing what Lilea wanted me to do. But I had to do it. Even if she expects everything to happen her way, it¡¯s the only way to break this deadlock that I¡¯m in. Besides, to remember what I was here for¡­ I was only here to prove myself in a fighting contest, not a fight to the death. Even the killing intent showered at me was uncanny, but I couldn¡¯t deny that it was just a natural result of her enjoying this situation to the fullest. Being afraid to lose was the only thing that could make me lose. Losing this fight right now wouldn¡¯t be the end of the world either way. Thus¡ª while defending myself from the continuous barrage of blows, I let out a sharp exhale and let out the wicked thoughts swirling around in my brain. And once again, I retreated. ¡°¡­Hm?¡± Instead of coming at her at full speed, I retreated as soon as I had the chance. My contradictory behavior raised Lilea¡¯s eyebrows. ¡­What does this mean? Or so the question painted her face. Then, the torrent of swords, which had been drawing arcs in the air like a whip, stopped for the very first time. Lilea looked at me¡ª and wrinkled her brows even more. The reason being as soon as I got distance, she saw me in a strange position with only half of my body facing her. ¡°¡­Are you messing with me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not. You¡¯re one of the only people who know how serious I am.¡± *** [Translator ¨C Niel ] [Proofreader ¨C DVN-L ] Join our discord for updates on releases! *** Soon the breeze that was blowing over the area changed ever so slightly, perhaps influenced by the combined overflowing fighting spirits we were displaying. Realizing this slight change, the disappointed look on Lilea¡¯s face vanished in a flash. I guess it would be more accurate to say that she was stunned out of it, given that the stance I¡¯m trying to achieve was impossibly grandiose. ¡°Besides¡ª it¡¯s not like you know everything, Lilea.¡± The normal way was, above all, reaching optimal responses with an emphasis on functionality above all else. There was nothing wrong with that idea. However, there are people in this world who cannot be evaluated by common sense. That¡¯s exactly the kind of people who are not afraid to smash down the wall of common sense that people say is equivalent to garbage and move on. I would be happier to be convinced that those opponents aren¡¯t very easy to beat. ¡°I see¡­¡± Since fighting and crossing swords in a normal way would only result in a slow and steady decline, the only way to win is to change the way you attack. ¡°¡ª¡ª¡± For a few seconds, I had blank thoughts, and only at this time, in this very moment, could I afford to do that. What broke the brief silence in my mind was Sofia¡¯s condition to this fight. If I lost to Lilea¡ª Despite everything she says, I knew firsthand what she really felt. Maybe it was to keep me from doing something reckless, but my father generally had Sofia to look after me, after all. Therefore, I had to show by my actions that there was no need for such concern. I had to prove it. And the quickest way to do that is to embody the ¡°strongest¡± that exists within you¡ª! ¡°It¡¯s far from the real thing, but still¡ª¡± ¡ªI thought it was worth trying at a time like this. So rather than only trying to imitate his ¡°techniques,¡± why not imitate his fundamentals on swordsmanship¡ª hell, even his form? Strangely enough, both my legs felt so light that it was almost as if they had wings. ¡°Hey¡ª Julius¡­ Since when were you able to do¡ª¡± Why, Lilea muttered, her eyes wide with astonishment, with her voice sounding amused and comical at the same time. ¡ªTo not attack using magic, but only exerting magic on both my legs and feet instead of only my hands. I didn¡¯t take the time to listen to what she had to say, but focused my mind on the sword in my hand. Before long, I attempted to start closing my distance to Lilea again, but¡­ ¡°¡­¡± Silently, Lilea let the twin swords in her hands fall from her hands. And soon after, a metallic clang sounded from the ground. ¡°¡­I know it¡¯s not my place to say this,¡± ¡­But if you¡¯re going to fight in that state, you¡¯re going to have to do more than just get hurt, she added apologetically. ¡°I give up. As tempting as it is to cross swords with you using that technique¡­ it would only end up causing a serious injury to either of us. I¡¯m not going to go any further than this right now, given that there¡¯s still the ¡®Magician Hunter.¡¯¡± This was the line. A fine line that can be damned by reason, Lilea said, and raised both her hands up in the air. ¡ªI lost, not just in words, but in this very match, too. ¡­It was just as Lilea said. It¡¯s not the brightest idea to get fatally injured in the midst of the magician killings. As much as I would¡¯ve liked to cross swords with her a little more, this was only a match to determine my skill. By reminding myself that this wasn¡¯t a killing match, I slowly calmed down the heat that had once flared up inside me. And as if in tandem with this, the strange sensation of lightness in my legs also disappeared, it was a sensation similar to what I felt unleashing a ¡®Shooting Star.¡¯ ¡°¡ªWith that being said, where the hell did you learn a trick like that?¡± Lilea asked as she picked up her twin swords and scabbard that she had taken out of my hands. But¡­ ¡°¡­I wonder about that myself, too. I just felt like I could imitate that technique and tried to apply it myself, so I don¡¯t really know.¡± I myself didn¡¯t understand how my legs became so light, nor how much of a feat that was. ¡°¡­Imitate?¡± ¡°Yeah. I tried to imitate what I wanted to do with a clear ideal in mind¡­ But the next thing I remembered was that I just found myself already doing that.¡± Needless to say, it was an imitation of the ¡®Star Slayer¡¯ that resided in my memory. ¡°I see. Trying to imitate, huh? ¡­You¡¯d be better off not forgetting that sensation. Remembering that very feeling would do you good sometime, I guarantee it.¡± ¡ª¡ª Join our discord for updates on releases! ¡ª¡ª Chapter 48 [Translator ¨C Niel] [Proofreader ¨C DVN-L] Chapter 48 As soon as her remark ended, a drop of water suddenly brushed my cheek. What I found looking above was dull clouds squirming around the dark sky that was shadowing over me, seemingly turning it into something ominous. ¡°¡­It¡¯s starting to rain.¡± I muttered to myself. ¡°I guess we should take this good timing to get moving.¡± Lilea affirmed, saying so with a slight smile on her face. If I submitted myself to the feverish excitement earlier, I probably would have been indulging myself in testing my skills against Lilea, completely disregarding this rain. And it was more than possible that it¡¯d be already pouring down like cats and dogs by the time we realized it. ¡°Let¡¯s head back to the inn before it starts pouring down, you two.¡± Said Sofia. Sofia and I were renting rooms at the same inn where Lilea and her family currently resided, using the bounty from the ogre I defeated two years ago to pay for our living expenses. Which meant we all went back to the same place. ¡°I suppose so¡­ but I wonder if this rain will last until tomorrow.¡± I couldn¡¯t tell the difference at all, but Lilea and her adventurer companion, Lowe, could predict whether it will rain tomorrow or not just by looking at the sky as if it were a matter of fact. When I ask her how she does it, she would only answer that she had a hunch. I ceased to ask further, but I had a certain amount of faith in her guesses. ¡°There really might be another incident the day after tomorrow, huh?¡± ¡°Yeah, but that applies to all of us, too.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just talking to myself. Can you not butt in?¡± I chuckled and made a face in response. The day after tomorrow is probably the day the ¡®Magician Hunter¡¯ resumes his routine once again. Hence why I thought Lilea decided to do this at this certain time, but it seemed like my guess was a bad one. ¡°I¡¯m still not sure about this, to be honest. I didn¡¯t go all the way, and you still had a lot left in your tank, so this match could¡¯ve easily gone either way. But despite that, I think you¡¯re the type of person who only shows your true potential when you¡¯re in a dire situation. It may only be my hunch, but I somehow get the feeling that you¡¯re going to be alright.¡± What she was getting at was¡ª My ability as a swordsman is still yet to be seen, nothing more. And given how I¡¯m an unknown anomaly, it was likely that things would somehow work out for me. ¡°Thanks.¡± I accepted the compliment, albeit somewhat roundabout. ¡°¡­Talk all you want, but hurry up or you¡¯ll get drenched in the rain.¡± Sofia, who had been completely out of the loop, said with a mixture of exasperation and amusement. Lilea and I had a bad habit of being in our own worlds when swords are involved. And by the time I realized, Sofia had already started walking ahead of me to the direction where our inn is, grumbling all the while. This was an open place located in a rather remote part of the capital, so it would probably take some time to head back. We¡¯d be in a good hurry. Thinking so, Lilea and I followed Sofia¡¯s back¡ª For how long had we been walking again? Ten minutes? Fifteen? Probably more. To our great dismay, the intensity of the rain remained relatively unwavering throughout the day, though it was Lilea who pointed out the firm sense of discomfort by turning it into words. ¡°¡ªI wonder who in the world is behind this.¡± No matter how far we walked, all we saw was green. Nothing but trees in our sight. We should¡¯ve already arrived at the inn by now under normal circumstances, but we just somehow keep coming back to where we were. The aftermath of my match with Lilea, namely the cuts and shreds to the trees near where we fought, still remained after a certain amount of time walking around the area. I thought it was just some kind of joke at first, but a sense of discomfort and a crippling suspicion started to bug me as time passed. ¡°I don¡¯t remember getting into a fight with someone¡­ but do you know anyone who¡¯s holding a grudge against you, Julius?¡± ¡°¡­Why me? Also, getting into a fight with someone?¡± ¡°¡­No matter how you look at it, you, me, and Sofia are all under a ¡®Disorientation¡¯ magic. How else can we describe this otherwise?¡± Round and round¡ª over and over again. Starting from what I thought was the place where I crossed swords with Lilea, to looking at the same scene as I continued walking far ahead. It was a phenomenon that stirs the inside of your head, making it a jumbled mess. And the one and only source of that is ¡ªaccording to what Lilea had said¡ª magic. *** [Translator ¨C Niel ] [Proofreader ¨C DVN-L ] Join our discord for updates on releases! *** ¡°¡­There weren¡¯t any signs of someone following us on our way here. So if we have company right now, that person set this trap as we were exchanging swords with each other.¡± Lilea grumbled to herself and shook her head to deny the thought that came to mind, saying it was impossible for that to happen. When you are holding a sword in your hand, you are without exception in a state where you have abandoned any sense of composure other than that of the target you see in front of you. Certainly, people are less conscious of the presence of others, but on the other hand, they are frightfully sensitive to external harm. Therefore, if a ¡®Disorientation¡¯ magic was cast over them, they would definitely notice. And if so, how did we end up in this situation¡­? I didn¡¯t know. There were too many mysteries. The frustrated look on Lilea¡¯s face explained it all. ¡°Anyhow, this is all part of a magical ability, right¡­? Don¡¯t you know anything about the potential user we are talking about?¡± I reached the point in an instant. She must have had some information. If not, she wouldn¡¯t have said the things she said earlier. ¡°¡­If we¡¯re talking about the user, yeah, I know him.¡± ¡°Well this is¡ª¡± Going to be easy, then. It all boils down to that person being the culprit. But before the words escaped my mouth, I was immediately interrupted by the person in question. ¡°¡ªBut that very magician was already murdered while you were on your way to Minaura.¡± Therefore, there should be no more magician who has that magic, she confusingly said. Magic is a divine skill, so to speak, so only one person can use a certain magic at a time. If it¡¯s a healing magic like Sofia¡¯s, there would still be times when the user¡¯s magic is unique from other magicians¡¯ healing magic. However, in cases such as Fiole Islebark¡¯s¡ºCorpse Puppet: Marionette¡»and the¡ºDisorientation¡»described above, it would be totally rare for more than two people to use the same magic. Magicians are rare entities. Everyone is given equal potential, but there are really only a handful of people who can use it. And so¡ª Lilea was more than convinced that there couldn¡¯t be two or three people using the same magic as the magician she knew. All the more reason for her to stop and deeply think about it. What kind of sick joke is this¡­? ¡°¡­Murdered, you say?¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s exactly what you¡¯re imagining in your head. That magician was killed by the ¡®Magician Hunter.¡¯¡± ¡°Except, in reality, we¡¯re under a¡ºDisorientation¡»magic.¡± We had no other idea of the cause of this situation, which kept us coming back to the same place no matter how much we progress. ¡°¡­Could it be that the magician you knew came back to life?¡± Sofia suddenly mentioned such a frightening possibility. But having seen Fiole¡¯s magic with my own eyes, who brought ferocious monsters back to life right, I couldn¡¯t deny it. ¡°¡­Does that mean that someone has some stupid ¡®Resurrection Magic¡¯ and turned a supposedly dead magician against us?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the only guess I can make¡­¡± ¡°I suppose it¡¯s possible. But if it really is the case, I wouldn¡¯t be using such magic to bring back some magician who does disorientation magic. What I would do is resurrect some great and renowned warrior from the past.¡± However, the culprit we were currently talking about now didn¡¯t. No, I should take it that it couldn¡¯t be done here. The reason being¡­ surely, the inherent flaw of his magic. ¡°Well, that¡¯s all there is to it if a magician really can use such extraordinary magic to resurrect the dead.¡± Even if resurrecting the dead isn¡¯t his magical ability, there are still many possibilities. It¡¯s clear that it¡¯s not a good idea to make hasty judgments and narrow one¡¯s perspective. So going forward and exploring other possibilities like so, we¡¯d have to put that very possibility behind us. Reviving and manipulating. Imitating one¡¯s magic. Taking away one¡¯s magic. Or, in a terribly unlikely scenario, someone else really happened to wield the same magic. These are just a few of the options that come to mind. But then, there rang an unnatural sound. It should¡¯ve seemed like the sounds of leaves rustling, but it sounded too unnatural for us to leave it alone. It was a sound that I had never heard from the moment we first attempted to head back home, not wanting to get drenched from the rain, until this very moment. So, all three of us, Lilea, Sofia, and I, turned around all at once. ¡°¡ª¡ª¡± There stood a man I didn¡¯t recognize. Dressed in a knight¡¯s uniform. Perhaps being under the influence of the ¡®Disorientation¡¯ magic, what laid before my eyes was the reflection of a mask, one that was far from normal. ¡°I¡­ see. I feel like I¡¯m starting to understand a lot of what¡¯s going on¡­¡± Particular reasons as to why a knight of the capital, which exists to protect the city, in this kind of place, was unwilling to move away from our path? It was as if he was supposed to be there, yet he wasn¡¯t. I listened to Lilea¡¯s monologue, keeping my focus on the man who existed at the other end of her gaze, giving me a strange impression. ¡ª¡ª Join our discord for updates on releases! ¡ª¡ª Chapter 49 [Translator ¨C Niel] [Proofreader ¨C DVN-L ] Chapter 49 ¡°¡­What do you mean by¡ª¡± ¡°This can only mean one thing, right? Moreover, the Knight Commander, Bernadette, and her Vice Commander, Zenoah Almerida, are supposedly the only ones who can wield magic in the order if I remember correctly.¡± Hence why the presence of the knight in front of us who can use¡ºDisorientation¡»magic was all the more strange. ¡°So you¡¯re saying that¡­ he¡¯s only pretending to be a knight?¡± I said so as I stared at the unidentified knight standing before our path, showing no signs of moving at all. ¡°I¡¯d say it¡¯s the most likely possibility.¡± And perhaps, the man in front of us was the ¡®Magician Hunter¡¯ in question. As I was thinking so, the man then pointed his finger at me, and then at the girl beside me, Sofia. Shortly thereafter: ¡°I mean no harm to the two of you. Get out of the capital.¡± A cold, uncanny voice that I didn¡¯t remember ever hearing before stirred our eardrums. There was room to exchange words, apparently. No, considering the situation, this might be because he wanted to create an environment where we could exchange words. At the very least, at this moment, there wasn¡¯t any sense of hostility. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because I have no reason to kill you two.¡± It was as if he was saying he would kill everyone who resided in the capital¡ª my brows wrinkled in disbelief to his reply. ¡°Hence, it¡¯s why I have given you this opportunity.¡± ¡°¡­Heh? By the way, can I assume that you¡¯re the ¡®Magician Hunter¡¯ that I¡¯ve been hearing so much about?¡± I asked as if I had nothing to lose. To which he replied¡ª ¡°I don¡¯t know who you mean by ¡®Magician Hunter,¡¯ but if that¡¯s someone who¡¯s been going around the capital and killing magicians, then yes, it¡¯s me.¡± He answered kindly. And if that was indeed the case, it was all the more reason to dismiss my concerns here. Immediately after making the decision came my attempt to chant the words I needed to activate my magic,¡ºSword: Creation¡» ¡°I thought I already gave you a reason to not turn your sword against me, didn¡¯t I?¡± ¡°¡­¡± His unexpected words stopped me right in my tracks. ¡­Yes, the reason why I was thinking of defeating the Magician Hunter was that it served as a huge threat to me and other close magicians that I know, especially Sofia. But contrary to my doubts, the man in front of me who claimed to be the ¡®Magician Hunter¡¯ assured me otherwise if I left the capital. I had no proof that his words were true, but if that was really the case, then my whole reason for turning my sword against him was now gone. ¡°I already told you that I have no plan of harming you two had you left the capital, but why do you still intend to go against me?¡± ¡°¡­And I¡¯m supposed to honestly believe that?¡± I asked suspiciously, but the man only shook his head in response. ¡°I think you¡¯re mistaken, but you only have two choices. Stay here and become prey, or leave and be safe. That¡¯s it. There¡¯s no room for compromises.¡± So basically, all I was allowed to do was to pick between the two, and the man in front of me wouldn¡¯t care no matter how much I doubted it. ¡°¡­I see. But how can I trust someone who doesn¡¯t come straight to me and use such magic for an opportunity to speak instead?¡± Since we¡¯re already been under his¡ºDisorientation¡»magic, we¡¯re also as good as being in his territory. It may be a bit too much to ask for trust and assurance when he already made a situation where he could easily kill us all if he really wanted to. But I wasn¡¯t such an easy guy to honestly believe the words of such a person, thus: ¡ºSword: Creation¡» I unleashed my sword. ¡°You can try and stand up against me all you want, but I don¡¯t think you should be wasting my conscience.¡± ¡°¡­Conscience?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. This is an act completely out of conscience. Do you think I¡¯m just going around killing magicians for pleasure?¡± ¡°¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t answer his question. I really hadn¡¯t thought about why the ¡®Magician Hunter¡¯ kills magicians as he does. ¡°I can¡¯t really blame you nor that little girl for not knowing why¡­ You two have nothing to do with it, after all.¡± And hence, my conscience, he added. ¡°I may be a murderer, but I¡¯m not a lowlife who kills just anyone. I murder in my own righteous way.¡± So don¡¯t get in my way, he followed. The pressure didn¡¯t only come out of his words, but his body as well. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t think there is any justice or bullshit in going around killing people.¡± You¡¯re just a criminal. If they were irredeemable, they probably wouldn¡¯t have gotten into this mess. Besides, as we speak, the killing would still continue and most likely include Lilea. *** [Translator ¨C Niel ] [Proofreader ¨C DVN-L ] Join our discord for updates on releases! *** ¡°I have no desire for anyone to understand the right or wrong of what I am doing. This is just self-satisfaction, a personal way for me to settle my affairs with the past. Therefore, I¡¯m not asking for your opinion. Do you understand?¡± Right after my retort, the man in front of me immediately shut it down, rejecting it, saying he doesn¡¯t trust anything but himself. But¡ª ¡°Then it¡¯s no wonder I¡¯m pointing my sword at you like this.¡± Saying so, I pointed the tip of the weapon in my hand at the man. It was a very natural conclusion. He doesn¡¯t want to come to terms and understand what he is doing. It¡¯s only natural for me to deny it like so and stand my ground against the murderer in front of me. I didn¡¯t believe words coming from such a dangerous person, and most importantly, I couldn¡¯t leave him alone. ¡°Don¡¯t even think of trying. You have no chance against me.¡± The man in front of me, saying so, showed no sign of drawing the sword at his waist. ¡­Is it because he¡¯s convinced that he can¡¯t lose even if he doesn¡¯t draw his sword? If so, that¡¯s convenient. I would be more than happy to take advantage of that pride. I put strength into my legs and tried to shift my center of gravity to close in on him. But soon after, I was grabbed by something hard on my shoulder. The slight clawing of what I¡¯d say are fingernails seemed to be telling me to knock it off. I looked back over my shoulder and saw Lilea with a rather bitter expression on her face. ¡°¡­I¡¯d prefer not to do that now.¡± I thought she¡¯d tell me not to be reckless, but she instead told me not to try challenging him at all. Lilea stopped me, telling me not to reveal my hand. ¡°Since we are under a¡ºDisorientation¡»magic, what we see may not even true in the first place. Perhaps that person¡­ might only seem to be here when he¡¯s truly not.¡± ¡°¡­Even though we can hear his voice?¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s the kind of magic it is. And at least if that guy is the real ¡®Magician Hunter,¡¯ he probably won¡¯t try to kill us now.¡± And thus, there was no need for me to force the challenge right now, she added. Besides, if we looked at his cycle, we would have two more days before he actually strikes again. Why dare to make and stick with rules only to easily break them one day? I couldn¡¯t think of any proper reason. But was Lilea right in her assumption? ¡°It¡¯s just as she said. I have no intention of killing you today.¡± It¡¯s as if to say that if it were any other day, he would¡¯ve killed us. ¡°¡­Um, can I ask you something?¡± As I slowly lowered the tip of the sword I was holding, I asked the man in front of me a question. He already told me he wouldn¡¯t entertain my questions, but I still wanted to ask him. ¡°I understand that you kill magicians for your own reasons, but I¡¯m having a hard time understanding the point of your obsession. Can you enlighten me on that one?¡± He kills for a reason. And if it¡¯s really as he says, it¡¯s for justice. That much I understand. But then why kill a magician once every five days like a criminal? I couldn¡¯t understand for the life of me the reason for making, following, and being consistent with such a rule. If you want to kill, kill. You can let your impulse decide and kill as many people as you want. But for some reason, the ¡®Magician Hunter¡¯ didn¡¯t want to do so. ¡­Why? ¡°¡ªIt¡¯s simple. And that¡¯s because there are those who want to strike fear into the hearts of the people.¡± How whimsical of them, the man answers. ¡°Five days becomes four. Four days becomes three. Three days to two. The interval gradually narrows, and the magicians are disappearing one after another. That way, you can maximize the fear that one might be next, right?¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t your reason for doing so for justice?¡± Then it¡¯s just another pleasure-seeking crime, isn¡¯t it? ¡°Justice, it¡¯s sure justice. I wouldn¡¯t have made that rule if it weren¡¯t for the justice I seek.¡± I realized that it was futile to try to understand. No matter how hard I tried, I wouldn¡¯t understand. It was the conclusion that I reached. ¡°Let me put it simply so that even you, a child, can understand¡ª¡± The man must have realized that I had given up trying to understand him. ¡°¡ªThis is revenge. My own revenge against the magician scum of the capital, that is.¡± As soon as he finished declaring so, the¡ºDisorientation¡»magic that had been cast upon us was broken, leaving our vision distorted. ¡°I don¡¯t care whether you¡¯re an outsider or not. If you get in the way of my revenge, I will kill you, even women and children alike. I gave you my advice.¡± And not long after, our vision became clear and went back to normal. Except that the ¡®Magician Hunter¡¯ that was just in front of us was no longer anywhere to be seen. ¡ª¡ª Join our discord for updates on releases! ¡ª¡ª Chapter 50 [Translator ¨C Niel] [Proofreader ¨C DVN-L] Chapter 50 ¡°That turned out to be a lot more trouble¡­¡± The tense, suffocating atmosphere dissipated into thin air as if it weren¡¯t there. Lilea lightly pressed her temples as she finally let out the air she had been holding in her lungs with a sharp sigh. ¡°¡­But we gained a lot of information too.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°That knight wasn¡¯t the supposedly dead magician that I knew. I don¡¯t remember him being that talkative.¡± ¡°So that means that man used some means to imitate¡­ or even steal that magic?¡± ¡°That would be about right.¡± Which meant that it was more than possible that the ¡®Magician Hunter¡¯ himself possessed other kinds of magic, too. ¡°But our problem is that¡ºDisorientation¡»magic of his¡­¡± Even if we were wary of the possibility that he could use other sorts of magic, we still had no way of getting around his disorientation magic. We couldn¡¯t move forward without a proper countermeasure against it. ¡°And given the matter at hand, maybe those guys know the flaw in that magic that we can exploit.¡± ¡°Those guys?¡± ¡°Yeah. Until exactly two years ago, the magician who originally used the¡ºDisorientation¡»magic belonged to the Order. So if we ask the knights, they might give us something useful.¡± ¡ªHowever, it¡¯s hard to imagine that the Order, which for some reason had remained silent amidst the magician killings, would cooperate with us even if we explained the situation to them. I agreed with Lilea¡¯s bitterly expressed rambling. But then, a certain something suddenly flashed through my mind. It was the ¡®magic words¡¯ that Fiole Islebark, the woman I met in Minaura, had taught me. ¡°If you ever find yourself in any trouble, you can ask her to help you out.¡± And I believe the name she mentioned was¡ª Zenoah Almerida. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll see what I can do. I have connections, fortunately.¡± The two girls gave me a hard, reproachful look, completely in surprise as to how I got such a connection. Feeling uncomfortable, she turned away and agreed with a pout. ¡°Just so we¡¯re clear, do you two not want to leave the capital?¡± ¡°I think we¡¯re safer if the three of us stuck together.¡± ¡°Are we really supposed to take that man¡¯s word now?¡± Before Lilea could completely finish her question, Sofia and I already had our answers. ¡°¡­I just thought I¡¯d ask since I don¡¯t really trust that man either. I just wanted to say that if you are choosing to stay in this place out of concern for me, it¡¯s a needless concern.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Yeah, and if that¡¯s the case, isn¡¯t it better to go our separate ways for the time being?¡± ¡°¡­Meaning?¡± ¡°As far as I can tell from what that man said earlier, as of today, he has no intention of killing any magicians, including us.¡± He did say that. The ¡®Magician Hunter¡¯ might¡¯ve been wounded for all we know, but under the circumstances, he had an overwhelming advantage over us. But despite that, he didn¡¯t try to attack us in any way, completely justifying having no intention of killing any magician this time. If that¡¯s indeed the case, Lilea would surely say that we should do everything we can while we still have the time. ¡°I see.¡± I thought it was reasonable. We were in a completely disadvantaged situation, yet he didn¡¯t harm us. While there¡¯s a touch of frustration in this fact, we should be making the most of it now. Hence why we took Lilea¡¯s suggestion into action. ¡°You use your connections to the knights, while Sofia and I will go around the place looking for people who might know something.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Regardless of whether we¡¯d be the ones to defeat him or not, nothing would touch him until we could find something about his disorientation magic. Therefore, the first and foremost priority was to find the flaw in that very magic. *** [Translator ¨C Niel ] [Proofreader ¨C DVN-L ] Join our discord for updates on releases! *** No magic is devoid of any flaw. There is no exception. It is a well-known fact and an absolute rule. And depending on the range of one¡¯s abilities, the size of the defects that they have will also vary. Thus, the best way to defeat a magician is to look for their flaws. Because no matter how much magicians may be called ¡°embodiment of unreasonableness,¡± it¡¯s completely impossible to be spared from the providence of the world¡ª ¡°¡ªOr so I thought. I thought I could find something out after talking about magicians and all, but surprisingly enough, I can¡¯t seem to find anything at all.¡± That is, unless they are self-reported, said the woman with long silvered eyelashes, somewhat absent-mindedly talking to me about magic for unknown reasons. It was about an hour later. I left Lilea and Sofia to go on my own and reached the knight¡¯s station. But as I expected, the guards could only kick me out, preaching about how this isn¡¯t a place for a child like me to be. Until at the same moment, I happened to meet a woman dressed in a knight¡¯s uniform. And somehow, as soon as she stepped between me and the guards, everything suddenly settled down, and they finally let me inside the establishment. ¡°¡­Why did you invite me inside, if you don¡¯t mind me asking?¡± Unlike the guards, I only asked her to meet with a certain person in the Order. Nevertheless, she granted my request and invited me inside. ¡­I kept quiet about it because it was in my favor, but it was almost eerie thinking about how convenient things had gone so far. And before long: ¡°Because you know Fiole, don¡¯t you? You¡¯re here because you were told to turn to me in times of trouble.¡± Her reply was so abrupt it made my mind go blank. Indeed, she was right. I came to this office to meet someone named Zenoah Almerida. But that¡¯s not something I had said to anyone just yet. Her clear eyes shot through me. I was under the illusion that she could see right through me. ¡°Yes, I can indeed see right through you. That¡¯s my magical ability after all.¡± Magic, again. And judging from this situation and her previous statement, hers is probably¡ª ¡°Apologies for my late introduction. My name is Zenoah Almerida, and my magical ability is¡ºMind Reading: Doctus¡»¡­To put it simply, I possess the ability to hear one¡¯s thoughts. As for its flaws, when I try to use this magic, my sense of hearing becomes completely useless and the fatigue I get from it is ridiculous too, to boot.¡± ¡­I knew it. Wondering if I should introduce myself as well as my magical abilities in detail too, I opened my mouth hurriedly. ¡°I¡¯m Julius. My magical ability is¡ª¡± ¡°¡ª¡ºSword: Creation¡»Its flaws limit you to only being able to manifest it right next to your limb. And if it leaves your hand, it will disappear in less than ten seconds, correct?¡± There goes my answer before I could even give it. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. You had trouble with our knight guards, so I took the liberty listening to your thoughts, as well as your abilities. So allow me to apologize for the confusion, let alone the worries that I made.¡± Hearing so, she gave me the impression of being a very serious person. If she had kept quiet, I would never have learned about it, but she ventured out her way to tell the truth and apologize. It also made a little more sense that Fiole gave me an opportunity to meet with Zenoah in times of trouble. ¡°If I kept quiet about it, Fiole wouldn¡¯t forgive me¡­ That¡¯s enough idle talk. Time is running out, so let¡¯s get down to business.¡± Inside a guest room located in the station, the two of us sat across from each other at a long wooden desk. Zenoah then looked out the twilight-colored window for a moment before speaking again. ¡°¡ªThe reason for your visit today was because you wanted to ask me about the ¡®Magician Hunter,¡¯ wasn¡¯t it?¡± Zenoah, who tipped her head slightly while swaying her long flaxen hair, contorted the corners of her eyes as she said so. With a soft smile plastered on her face, she proceeded. ¡°A flaw to a magic called the¡ºDisorientation¡»magic, the Magician Hunter¡¯s abilities, and his identity. In addition to telling you everything I know at this point in time, I will also tell you how this happened. However, there is one favor¡ª a request I would like to ask of you in return.¡± ¡°A¡­ request?¡± Why is the Order still not making its move despite all the information they have? And if they know the whole picture, why are they not sharing information? As she continued to speak, questions kept popping up in my head one after another. And perhaps since she was a magician who possessed such an ability, she could probably see right through my inner thoughts without any wasted effort. However, she didn¡¯t answer my question and instead continued speaking. And it was almost the same words uttered by the ¡®Magician Hunter¡¯ whom I had met just an hour before, by sheer coincidence. ¡°Yes. I need you to withdraw and not get involved in this incident.¡± ¡ª¡ª Join our discord for updates on releases! ¡ª¡ª Chapter 51 [Translator ¨C Niel] [Proofreader ¨C DVN-L ] Chapter 51 Silence descended upon the room. It lasted for a second or two, then it was ten. I open my mouth to reply to Zenoah¡¯s earlier statement. ¡°¡­Is the request you told me the result of looking through my thoughts?¡± I chose my words carefully. If she could see through even Fiole, this wouldn¡¯t take long. Therefore, I asked. I wondered if she was aware of my thought process, which had led me to Minaura for such a self-centered reason. ¡°Yes¡­ And the reason why is plain simple. The ¡®Magician Hunter¡¯ you wish to learn more about possesses a magical ability called¡ºCollector.¡»¡± ¡°¡ºCollector?¡»¡± ¡°Yes. From the moment you were under his¡ºDisorientation¡»magic, you¡¯d already seen it. Its ability allows him to seize the magic of any magician he kills.¡± ¡°¡­And the flaw of his magic is¡­¡± ¡°You can¡¯t collect and use more than one magic at the same time. It¡¯s the only flaw that I know of.¡± In short, it¡¯s not possible to cast a new magic while performing the¡ºDisorientation¡»magic, for example. If he wanted to do so, he would have to lift the¡ºDisorientation¡»and all of its effects before he could proceed to collect and do another. That was basically the gist of it. ¡°That is why I would like you to back off. Please don¡¯t give him more ways to attack us.¡± ¡°¡­Are you saying that I¡¯ll be killed?¡± ¡°If you challenge him, you will surely perish. Besides, the flaw of the¡ºDisorientation¡»magic is something a swordsman like you will never be able to exploit.¡± A swordsman like me. I was a little taken aback by her choice of words. ¡°For people like you who rely on your ¡®instincts¡¯ to fight, you can¡¯t afford to lose your senses, no matter what.¡± As Zenoah was saying so, she extended her right hand to her right ear. ¡°The flaw within the¡ºDisorientation¡»magic is that it relies on tinkering with one¡¯s auditory sense. In other words, if a magician were to dismiss his sense of hearing in any way, it would have no effect at all. However, the ¡®Magician Hunter¡¯ collects all sorts of magic other than¡ºDisorientation¡»magic. So even if you find a way around it, it wouldn¡¯t matter to him.¡± Even if you managed to get out of his¡ºDisorientation¡»magic, he would still have a lot more magic left his arsenal. Hence why the ¡®Magician Hunter¡¯ and I were a completely terrible match. The woman in front of me, Zenoah, pointed out that even if I did my best fighting him, he would surely kill me and collect my very own magic to use as his own. ¡°¡­So what do you want me to do, then?¡± ¡°Like I said earlier, I want you to back off.¡± ¡°¡­¡± I paused for a moment and thought. I didn¡¯t know the whole story yet, but from what I¡¯d heard about his magical abilities, that man must still have a variety of means at his disposal just hidden away. We were in a situation where we were already struggling against his¡ºDisorientation¡»magic. Sure, it can be very difficult to beat. Even I would laugh at myself trying to analyze the impossibility of the current state of affairs. However¡ª Turning away because I was against something dangerous¡­ Changing my ways because I knew I couldn¡¯t ever win¡­ I couldn¡¯t do that¡­ If it had been for any other reason, there still might have been room to compromise. But this incident alone, no matter what, I¡­ I¡¯m the only one who mustn¡¯t admit it. Having resolved to my dream of being a ¡®Star Slayer,¡¯ I shouldn¡¯t turn my back away for such a trivial reason. It¡¯s important to think things over in a calm manner. It¡¯s important to fully analyze one¡¯s capabilities at play. But¡­ those factors are only in the category of being ¡°important,¡± and not something I must render decisive to my own decision-making. And so, I¡ª ¡°I fully understand what you¡¯re trying to say, but I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s an unreasonable request.¡± I refused. ¡°¡­May I ask you why?¡± ¡°It¡¯s simple. I don¡¯t even trust the ¡®Magician Hunter¡¯ myself in the first place, and after what he told me, he still might even kill Lilea. I think those are enough reasons for me to still want to kill him, am I wrong?¡± Lilea is one of the only people I¡¯m truly grateful for. I owe her a lot for taking good care of me, and above all, I don¡¯t want her to die. Those are more than enough reasons for me to fight. ¡°Besides, if you¡¯ve looked into my head, you already knew that. The thought of me fighting a battle I can¡¯t win is great, to say the least. Dying is only natural, and if I deserved it, that¡¯s fine by me, too. It¡¯s only when I overcome the walls in front of me that lie beyond such recklessness that it becomes meaningful. That¡¯s how I think. Well¡­ I must say that I¡¯m a rather lucky person to be able to do so.¡± I was met with a gaze very similar to the one Fiole had once given me in Minaura. It was the familiar look in her eyes that carried a feeling of incomprehension and skepticism about my sanity. But even if the red-haired swordsman I know, Siva, was in my place, I¡¯m certain that he would¡¯ve said the same thing. And had he known what I was up to, I¡¯m also certain that he¡¯d be so jealous of this situation. ¡°Well, this is something that everyone around me never understood, let alone my close friend Sofia, nor even my own father¡­ so I¡¯m more than aware that no matter how you look at it, this is very strange.¡± The grimace in Zenoah¡¯s face shot right through me, one of her eyebrows jumped ever so slightly before I could even finish my remark. Her silence urged me to make all the appeals I could make. ¡°Once you have longed for something, you can¡¯t help but reach for it, no matter what obstacles you may encounter. I would gladly run towards my goal on all fours. That¡¯s how much of an irredeemably stupid person I am.¡± I even set the man in my memories, the ¡®Star Slayer,¡¯ as my lifelong goal. It was a given that a person who admired a fool who had devoted his whole life to a single promise was also an irredeemable fool. ¡°¡­Yes. Now that you mention it, I do think that you are an irredeemable fool.¡± Zenoah thought I didn¡¯t stand a chance. So, to her, my actions are not of bravery, but only of barbarism. ¡°Haha.¡± After taking a few seconds to savor the words directed at me, I chuckled. I broke into a carefree smile, affirming that that¡¯s exactly what I meant. ¡°¡­Would the possibility of us protecting you change your answer?¡± ¡°Yes, definitely. I¡¯d surely dump away all the reasons I¡¯ve been meaning to justify. And if that¡¯s indeed the case, I will even venture out my way to gladly fight for you to compensate for the security that Sofia and the others will receive.¡± (TL Note: The italicized words are part of his thoughts that Zenoah can read.) At the end of the day, no words can be used to stop a person once a proper reason has been established. ¡°This life is my only one. And this is the only encounter I¡¯d get with this person. If so, how could I be so foolish as to let this opportunity pass by? It¡¯s all the more reason for me to do otherwise.¡± Not reaching out to that longing when you have a legitimate reason to do so is just plain stupid. I can¡¯t win, they say. That¡¯s true, even I thought so. And that¡¯s mainly why the ¡®Magician Hunter¡¯ is a wall that stands before me. I was merely being told the fact that I had no chance of winning at this point in time. Overcome that very wall, then. It¡¯s so simple, even a child can understand it. This is just a matter of going beyond my limits and prevailing. I had no reason to back down. Not even for a moment did I have a vision of the ¡®¡¯ in my memory losing to anyone. ¡°As long as there¡¯s this burning passion in my heart, I¡¯ll keep reaching out. I¡¯m not that adept of a person to accept a life where I blatantly lie to the feelings of longing in my heart.¡± The memories of the ¡®Star Slayer,¡¯ which still shone brightly in my mind, wouldn¡¯t be forgotten, erased, or turned away from. Nor could they be spared from being fulfilled. There was no other way but to accept it as it was. ¡°I¡¯m grateful for the information you gave. With this, I think I¡¯ll be able to fight the ¡®Magician Hunter¡¯ more properly than I did when we first met.¡± Recalling the events that occurred just a few hours ago, specifically when I wasn¡¯t even able to stand my ground on the battlefield, I stood up. ¡°¡ªI think I now see why Fiole gave up on you¡­¡± Zenoah muttered to herself as I rose up, but I pretended not to hear and proceeded to bow my head before leaving the room. ¡ª¡ª ¡ª¡ª Chapter 52 [Translator ¨C Niel] [Proofreader ¨C DVN-L] Chapter 52 ¡°¡­Ah¡ª I forgot to ask her a bunch of stuff.¡± I got up and left the office as if to run away. And before I realized the blunder I had done, I was already several minutes away from where I¡¯d been. As I made my way back to the inn, the thought of Zenoah possibly telling me about the ¡®Magician Hunter¡¯s¡¯ identity and motive flashed through my head. I felt a little bit of regret not asking, but I decided to only dismiss that part of the story. ¡°But¡­ one¡¯s sense of hearing, huh?¡± Albeit not too strongly, I still felt guilty towards the unjust I did to Zenoah despite receiving all the information I needed. Her eyes must¡¯ve been the reason. I was ignorant to the reason why staring at her eyes seemed that she could see right through my entirety. ¡­I don¡¯t have a clear conclusion, but I wonder if Zenoah already knew prior to my decision that I wouldn¡¯t accept her request, just like how I¡¯m also wondering to myself if I said too much. ¡°Indeed, the countermeasure is plain and simple, but it¡¯s not something that can easily be done, is it?¡± The way to rid my sense of hearing is¡­ Namely, by crushing my own eardrums. But as Zenoah had said, doing that will put me in a tremendous disadvantage. ¡°But if I can¡¯t see him, I¡¯ll just get killed one way or another.¡± If I focus myself on the importance of hearing, it¡¯s more than possible that I¡¯ll die without even being able to deliver a single blow. ¡°If I could at least create a situation where he¡¯d be right in front of me, I could do something.¡± Assuming I could get him into that circumstance, I would have a chance. It will be a little more reckless than how I fought back in Minaura, but I¡¯d have to overwhelm him with continuous attacks without allowing him even the slightest opening to fight back. Even if the figure of him that I¡¯m seeing isn¡¯t true, if I can surround him with¡ºNight of the Shooting Stars: Naglufar,¡»I¡¯ll be able to win. ¡°¡­I guess I¡¯ll have to discuss that with Lilea and Sofia.¡± I walked for more than ten minutes, only muttering to myself. As tinges of darkness began to mix with the twilight sky, I finally arrived at the inn only to find the two shadows of two people standing in front of it. Apparently, Sofia and Lilea had returned before me. ¡°How did it go?¡± ¡°No good. It was hard to even find acquaintances, since the magician who originally used¡ºDisorientation¡»magic only had a very small friend group. Finding flaws in his magic was completely out of the question.¡± ¡°I tried asking the church people about it, but they just told me not to get involved in such a dangerous matter.¡± Both of them sigh, their faces plastered with exhaustion. The church is where the nuns who teach Sofia healing magic are located. Although it¡¯s almost impossible to learn distinct healing magic from others, such as the person I met in Minaura, Abald, one can learn general healing magic that only heals injuries from the vast amount of users that it has. Given that it¡¯s the common practice throughout the world, anyone with the capabilities can learn and improve on them. And so, Sofia had been visiting the church frequently in order to learn healing magic from a certain nun, but it seems that her attempts had been unsuccessful. ¡°So, how¡¯s your side?¡± ¡°I was able to ask a certain person. I don¡¯t know whether the information I received is true or not, but the person who saved my life in Minaura told me to rely on that certain person. And well¡­ I think I can trust her.¡± ¡°Hmm~?¡± ¡°And from what I¡¯ve heard, the only flaw in the¡ºDisorientation¡»magic is that you can¡¯t be affected by it if you suppress your own sense of hearing.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case¡ª¡± I interrupted Lilea, who was probably trying to make a hasty conclusion that we should just throw away our auditory sense, and continued to speak. ¡°¡ªBut it seems that the ¡°Magician Hunter¡¯s¡± true magical ability is called¡ºCollector.¡»¡± ¡°¡ºCollector?¡»¡± ¡°In essence, he¡¯s a magician who can use various kinds of magic. So I was told that it wouldn¡¯t make much of a difference even if I gave up my hearing.¡± ¡°Ah¡ª That sure makes a lot of sense¡­ It¡¯s going to be a lot more trouble if that¡¯s the case.¡± Lilea ruffled her bangs with a clouded look on her face, and proceeded to churn from where she stood. ¡°Just so when we learned such a troubling discovery, too¡­ Things are really getting out of hand.¡± ¡°¡­Troubling discovery?¡± I furrowed my brow. Being concerned as she was, I thought she may have been onto something new, a fact that I¡¯ve only yet to know. When I tilted my head in doubt, this time Sofia, not Lilea, opened her mouth and filled me in on the details. ¡°Yeah. When I tried to ask about the ¡®Magician Hunter,¡¯ the same sister who told me to not get involved said that if we don¡¯t do anything, we wouldn¡¯t be harmed.¡± From the context of the conversation, I guessed Sofia was not referring to us three, but to the people of the church. But I wondered¡ª Given that there may be some magicians in the church, including sisters who only can use healing magic, how can she be sure that they will be safe from the Magician Hunter? Questions started to swirl around my head. Perhaps it is because I didn¡¯t have a good head on my shoulders, but I couldn¡¯t see any reason why this was the case. Then¡­ ¡°So I thought about it for a minute. The ¡®Magician Hunter¡¯ said he¡¯s doing this for revenge, right? Therefore, he held a grudge against the magicians of the capital, but he also owed the church a favor, enough for him to have a reason not to touch it. Nevertheless, he¡¯s doing all the killing now because he knows that the Knights can¡¯t move carelessly. That brings me to a certain answer.¡± When you carefully put the pieces together one by one, it just so happens that there is a certain character who fits the picture perfectly, Lilea said. ¡°The capital is the most important part of this country. But do you know why there are only two magicians in the Order of the Knights responsible for protecting the security of this place, Julius?¡± ¡°¡­No, I don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Until about five years ago, there were quite a number of magicians in the Order of the Knights. The magician who originally possessed¡ºDisorientation¡»magic, he was one of them.¡± I guessed that was an amazing feat, but that¡¯s really the only impression I had. What¡¯s this troubling discovery they¡¯ve been referring to, then? ¡°The magicians among the Knights of that time were the pride of the kingdom, they were very well-known for their bravery¡­ but as they were put into a pedestal, they became proud of themselves. This pride, which was contagious among the knights, led to a certain catastrophe. It was as they commonly called, the Tragedy of Cazalea.¡± The Tragedy of Cazalea? Upon hearing my concern about such an unfamiliar matter, she reaffirmed herself, and began to talk about it. ¡°It all started with the kidnapping of a noblewoman by a group of thieves. During her rescue, there was a person who got fed up with the then Knight Commander, who for some reason was reluctant to get up from his chair, rushed ahead to help her himself. His name is¡ª Bermuda. But as it turned out, the choice of the then-Knight Commander who remained adamant on his stance, perhaps foreseeing what was to come, was the right one. As a result of Bermuda¡¯s preemptive action, the kidnapped woman, alongside dozens of civilians, died.¡± He thought he could save the day. Such pride, Lilea said, became a tragedy. Had he supported the opinion of the Commander of the Order, there probably would have been fewer, if any, sacrifices made. ¡°Bermuda, who merely attempted to save the noblewoman¡¯s life which nearly cost him his, was still executed to atone for his actions. At the same time, the then Knight Commander took responsibility and left the Knight Order, thus founding the current one. Everyone says that Zenoah Almerida was appointed deputy commander so that the tragedy of five years ago wouldn¡¯t happen again. The reason why there are almost no magicians in the current Order is, in all probability, for the sake of control.¡± I see. With the amount of new information that I received, I had a good understanding of what really happened in such an incident. However, I still couldn¡¯t get rid of my doubts. What does the Tragedy of Cazalea have to do with the current magician killings? ¡°There was more to the story. There were people pleading against Bermuda¡¯s execution in exchange for theirs, saying that he merely wanted to help, and taking the blame for the casualties was just not fair. And the people making the appeal in question at the time, were the church people, and Bermuda¡¯s younger brother¡ª Oliver. I have a strong suspicion that Oliver is indeed the ¡®Magician Hunter.¡¯ The troubling fact is that the same ¡®Magician Hunter,¡¯ if I am correct, is most likely being sheltered in the church.¡± ¡ª¡ª ¡ª¡ª Chapter 53 [Translator ¨C Niel] [Proofreader ¨C DVN-L ] Chapter 53 ¡°¡­I kind of understand the deal. But, then¡­ Why is he going around killing magicians?¡± With her looking slightly sorrowful and her lips tight, I pointed out the contradiction in Lilea¡¯s discovery, saying that there really was no reason for him to kill magicians. And after a few seconds of silence: ¡°¡­Surely the reason for why he¡¯s doing this is¡­ just as he said, for ¡®revenge¡¯¡ª¡± Lilea uttered the answer. ¡°¡ªPerhaps it¡¯s to kill the current Knight Commander.¡± * * ¡ªThe ¡®Magician Hunter¡¯ said that he resents the magicians of the capital, but I¡¯m sure that nuance is a lie. I have a feeling that it¡¯s probably a magician who had some kind of involvement with the Knights five years ago that he has a grudge against. Lilea said. This statement was based on the fact that all of the magicians who had been killed by the ¡®Magician Hunter¡¯ had been involved with the Knights in some way or another. ¡°¡­He¡¯ll kill me if I get in his way, huh?¡± I ruminated. I repeated once again the words that were spoken to me. But even after realizing our stance within this incident¡ª ¡°I want to fight the strong in order to be one. I still want to fight him.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but be overtaken by what I truly desire, and before I knew it, those words already escaped my mouth. ¡°Well, if that¡¯s what you¡¯ve been longing for, then that¡¯s a perfectly reasonable thing to say.¡± Still, I would be more than happy to get in his way. Why, you ask? It¡¯s because I have a good reason for doing so. Besides, my concerns were already addressed thanks to Zenoah, the Knight Commander of the Order. But as my conversation with Lilea ended, a new question sprouted in my mind. And that¡¯s why I¡¯m where I am right now. In order to get an answer to that question, I left the inn alone and came to the front of the Knight¡¯s station once again, though it was already half past midnight. Not long after, a single figure filled my vision. There laid a different lookout from the one in the evening, but nonetheless, I was well aware about who that person was. ¡°¡ªThere is one more thing I want to ask you.¡± The curtain of the night fell, leaving the city tranquil. I didn¡¯t need to raise my voice, as it already resonated throughout the place. A giggle came soon after. And after a few seconds, her words followed suit. But for some reason, it wasn¡¯t a reply to what I had said, but a tangent to a rather completely unrelated story. ¡°There was once a man with a strong sense of justice named Bermuda. That man, from the bottom of his heart, wanted a happy everyday life for everyone. He hated unreasonable misery more than anything else.¡± ¡­I understood. The person standing in front of me, Zenoah Almerida, using her magic¡ºMind Reading: Doctus¡», was telling me that she knew the question I wanted to ask. ¡°I would also say that he¡¯s foolhardy, but that¡¯s beyond the point. His sense of justice was beautiful more than anything else. They were above all beautiful, shining and pure in every way.¡± In a strange way, she said, he was loved He was loved because his actions in pursuit of the beautiful ideals he set out to achieve were for the happiness of everyone. ¡°However, no matter how correct one¡¯s actions and desires are, the world is not always so clean or kind that everything can be made right.¡± No matter how much we long and desire for something, the cold, cruel reality shatters our ideals as if it were a matter of course. The reason why is because reality is unreasonable. ¡°Not everyone wishes for someone else¡¯s happiness, because plenty of other people wish otherwise. Therefore, people like him were especially easy to be taken advantage of by people¡¯s evil intentions.¡± I found myself absorbed in listening to the words that were filled with emotion. ¡°¡­Shall I tell you why there are no magicians in the current Order? It is not because they took responsibility for that incident and quit. The reason is rather plain and simple. Many of the magicians who belonged to the Order quit because they were disappointed with the nobles running the country.¡± In the darkness of the night, Zenoah¡¯s expression, dimly revealed by the faint light shining from the station, showed a slight tinge of anger. ¡°Five years ago, there was an active uproar over the succession to the throne. Due to that circumstance, this Order of Knights, an organization under the direct control of His Majesty the King at that time, was also exposed to ill will. Had we caused any scandal, the influence of the second prince, whom His Majesty the King had been promoting, would decrease. I heard that very idea was only a scheme, anyway.¡± I don¡¯t know much about political strife, but from what she told me, I knew right away that someone from the Order was being set up. ¡°Our Order was used for political warfare. It is only natural that everyone would be disappointed and quit, isn¡¯t it? Even the organizations that are supposed to protect the public safety and the citizens have killed many innocent people for their own gain. Where is the value in protecting such people?¡± The words didn¡¯t stop. As if dammed up, Zenoah¡¯s emotions overflowed. ¡°¡­Because of this, Bermuda, after suffering a near-death experience and continuing to regret not being able to save the kidnapped noblewoman¡­ killed himself. We were told by the higher-ups to own his death and tell the public that we executed him because it was convenient for us. I didn¡¯t know what was going on anymore.¡± *** [Translator ¨C Niel ] [Proofreader ¨C DVN-L ] *** ¡­Granted, Lilea was right. If this story is true, it truly was a tragedy. Undeniably, a cruel tragedy. ¡°I can understand why Bermuda¡¯s brother would resent us. After all, the official publication of events made it seem that we executed Bermuda to death in a variety of exaggerated ways.¡± She said that they had to push all the responsibility and dirt to those below without exposing any of the rotten parts of the aristocracy above them. ¡°So let me reiterate once again. This is our problem. So please, will you back off?¡± I refused to say anything based on the narrative so far. And after staying silent, I opened my mouth. ¡°¡ªIf that¡¯s the case, this is more terrible than I already thought it was.¡± My sweat glands opened up all at once at the overwhelming murderous intent that was directed at me. Did she think I would simply nod my head just because she told me a sob story? If so, her magical ability to read people¡¯s true thoughts was nothing but a sham, something to be laughed at. ¡°I knew I¡¯ve seen those eyes of yours somewhere before, but now I finally remember.¡¯ They were the eyes I often saw in my dreams. Namely, they were eyes that the people who appeared in my ¡°Star Slaying¡± dream often had. Deciding that I didn¡¯t need to use honorifics for someone with such a ridiculous thought process, I decided to put my words together in my usual tone. ¡°It¡¯s the eyes of those who tolerate death for a purpose.¡± I was right on mark, seeing how Zenoah was caught off guard at my statement. ¡°I don¡¯t know anything about political strife or anything like that even if you told me. But what I know is that the way you¡¯re dealing with it isn¡¯t the right way. Though I know for a fact that you¡¯re a good person, too.¡± You¡¯re Fiole¡¯s dear friend, after all. I know you¡¯re not a bad person. ¡°Whether the ¡°Magician Hunter¡± is using his ability to make you all atone or to exact revenge on a certain aristocrat is none of my business.¡± I only have one life. It¡¯s not something one can entrust to anyone else, so it¡¯s only natural for the individual to decide what to do with it. Just let me say this one thing. ¡°As you already know, absurdity is all around us.¡± ¡°¡­What are you trying to say?¡± ¡°Even if the ¡®Magician Hunter¡¯ has seized the abilities of many magicians, he¡¯s still just a magician who has a lot of magical abilities. That¡¯s far from the real absurdity¡­ And in order for me to become a real one, I have to be able to knock down the walls that¡¯s standing before me.¡± I was certain that such a being, like the ¡®¡¯ I was aiming for, wouldn¡¯t budge to question anything and would just slay anything that stood in his way as if it were natural, like stepping on an ant. ¡°¡­The real absurdity.¡± ¡°Yeah. From within this very kingdom, it would be someone like¡ª ¡®The King¡¯s Sword,¡¯ Zenova Kuznetsova. A brave, renowned individual that even I, who grew up in the countryside, knows¡­ Anyway, reaching the top isn¡¯t so easy that one only needs to be able to wield a lot of magic, you know?¡± So I pointed out that even if the Magician Hunter was after either avenging the former Order¡¯s honor or killing a certain aristocrat he resents, he wasn¡¯t an exception to his own condemning¡ª to get killed by someone else someday. And rather than a wall to overcome¡ª I had a building in front of me this time. ¡°Besides, if the existence of the Order is destroyed by self-serving actions, the weak who have no power will be in serious trouble. Do you understand that? If outlaws like him continue to plague this city, then even more innocent people will die. If you feel a sense of guilt for the righteous dead, I think you should do whatever it takes to make up for it. I think that¡¯s the best way to atone for your sins.¡± How weightless were the words I spoke. Because I myself knew better than anyone else that I was not the kind of person who would originally utter such gibberish. Knowing that this righteous argument was only a pretense to wield a sword, it felt inexplicably cheap. ¡°¡­You don¡¯t understand what I¡¯m feeling, do you?¡± ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t. I don¡¯t even want to know. And that¡¯s why I¡¯m denying it my own way.¡± The reason why the Order didn¡¯t make a move. Was it about the guilt from the past, or about what the existence of the Order should¡¯ve been like? Which of the two should really be prioritized? Maybe it was because she couldn¡¯t make a decision that Zenoah¡¯s expression showed a fragment of that struggle. ¡­However, it doesn¡¯t matter. I didn¡¯t care about any of those circumstances. And the reason being I already had a straight reason for it. If the Knights disappeared, outlaws would abound. It wouldn¡¯t only affect the capital, but also my village, my hometown. I couldn¡¯t have that. Now, get your shitty thoughts out. Spit them all out. To the point of unreasonableness and absurdity, say the words like how you would normally say it yourself¡ª ¡°I¡¯ll use the ¡®Magician Hunter¡¯ as my nourishment to reach my dream of Slaying the Stars, after all.¡± In order to become a ¡®Star-Slayer,¡¯ I would be the very obstacle that the ¡®Magician Hunter¡¯ would have to face. Absurdity is something that¡¯s lying around just about everywhere, after all. ¡ª¡ª ¡ª¡ª Chapter 54 [Translator ¨C Niel] [Proofreader ¨C DVN-L ] Chapter 54 ¡°¡ªFrom then til¡¯ now. I will make a name for myself as the strongest, taking everything into consideration. If I can do that, I don¡¯t care if I leave a bad reputation or not.¡± ¡°¡­Hey, now. Only villains say that.¡± Suddenly recalling such a fond moment, I found myself looking at the memories of a different person, not mine. ¡°¡­It can¡¯t be helped. No matter how I try to live a normal, ordinary life, being the strongest, let alone a ¡®Star Slayer¡¯ is beyond my wildest dreams.¡± ¡°Well¡­ I understand well enough where you¡¯re coming from.¡± It was a conversation between the ¡®¡¯ and his best friend. ¡°With that said, I¡¯m not a coward either. I will fight to be strong, and I will fight for the sake of fighting itself, too. I may be an idiot, but I am still a rational person. So, for what it¡¯s worth, I will only deal with those I judge to be wrong.¡± ¡°¡­So, you¡¯d even cut down the revolutionary people who are only trying to change the country, huh? Ku¡ª HAHAHA!! If they could only hear what you¡¯re spouting, they¡¯d surely kill you.¡± ¡­Well, it¡¯s too late for that, the man added with a laugh. ¡°What is the point of having a revolution in the first place? We are supposed to believe someone who insists that everyone should hold hands and create a beautiful, ideal world? That¡¯s absurd. Anyhow, no revolution can be called a revolution if it is aborted simply because I stood in its way.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a funny thing to say.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that? ¡­Whether it¡¯s a revolution or a revenge, the worst thing they can do is be half-hearted about everything. If that is the case, it would be better for the world and for the people if I crushed them. It¡¯s being half-assed that creates people like them.¡± The man¡¯s expression twitched as he heard the words. ¡­Now that you mention it, you¡¯re correct, said the man. A tinge of regret was visibly evident in his expression. Even the now-norm-breaking ¡®¡¯ in my dreams wasn¡¯t strong from the beginning. He was also, as everyone has been, a weak man at one time. And above all¡ª he was a victim. He took up the sword because he was the victim of an act caused by the self-righteousness of others. For this reason, his words seemed to be filled with a passion that was somewhat uncharacteristic of him. ¡°If you truly wish to change the world, the only way to do so is to use overwhelming military might to defeat all and oppressive regimes to teach each and every individual how wonderful your own thinking is.¡± I assure you. There can be no other way, he asserted. ¡°That¡¯s a rather very extreme ideology you have there.¡± ¡°Of course. It¡¯s good only if the person responsible for the whole ordeal loses money. That¡¯s perfectly justifiable. But countries are cunning creatures. They are happy to take advantage of the event and impose further oppression. Thanks to them, the outlaws will be even more abundant, and the weak will have nothing but a future of death by malice.¡± Eventually, the ¡®Star Slayer¡¯ man spoke his words in the fullness of time. ¡°Allow me to reiterate. What¡¯s wrong with standing in the way of others? What¡¯s wrong with being a wall to overcome? What is wrong with shattering such ideals for my own convenience? If the country is rotten, those actions definitely shouldn¡¯t even take place in the first place. Instead of inciting the masses, they should secretly build up their power and assassinate the upper echelons at will, on their own.¡± ¡°Since you talk like that, even if you are a ¡®Star Slayer,¡¯ do you intend to kill the king?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous. I am not interested in such trivial things.¡± A point-blank kick to the face followed suit. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯ve misunderstood, but this is ultimately just my own way of thinking. It¡¯s just a pretext for me to be strong and to slay.¡± I am the most egotistical person in the world. You know that better than anyone, don¡¯t you? He said so with a carefree smile. ¡°You just don¡¯t waver, do you?¡± ¡°But of course. Kings, aristocrats, and those ragamuffins. We are all, by nature, self-centered creatures, aren¡¯t we? Don¡¯t expect me to be ¡®beautiful.¡¯ That¡¯s ridiculous.¡± I swing my sword because I want to be strong and slay the stars. I am more reasonable than those who have something in their stomachs yet extend a friendly hand to others because I have a clear goal in mind. Or so he said. ¡ªSwordsmen are particularly selfish creatures. Ending with such a phrase¡­ *** [Translator ¨C Niel ] [Proofreader ¨C DVN-L ] *** ¡°¡ªA magician who originally belonged to the Order, huh?¡± Said Lilea. It was a day after my conversation with Zenoah. I told her the things I heard from the mind reader¡¯s mouth, breaking them down in my own way. The ¡®Magician Hunter¡¯s¡¯ motive was probably to kill the magicians who belonged to the Knights five years ago. And after that, he would move on to kill the current Commander of the Knights, I guessed. If, as Zenoah said, this was really a revenge to mourn for his dead brother, the ¡®Magician Hunter¡¯ would definitely target those who were involved in the Order five years ago. ¡°Certainly, if what you say is true, the chances of that being the case are endless¡­ In fact, the magicians who have been targeted so far have been those who had some connection to the Order. But¡­¡± But, she says. Lilea¡¯s doubtful gaze shot through me. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, you have no reason to turn against him, is there?¡± It was just as she said. My original reason for baring my sword against him was now gone. If I kept my ignorance to myself, there would be no harm done to us for the time being. But¡­ ¡°I think there is. I¡¯m sure I can just make up one, right?¡± In response to hearing what I just said, Lilea looked dumbfounded for a moment, and then tried to hold back the urge to blow up by biting her lip and shaking her body. ¡ªDon¡¯t get the wrong idea here. I¡¯m a person who longs to be a ¡®Star Slayer¡¯ to the end of my life. I¡¯m a fool who has a burning desire to somehow become the strongest and prove that my longing is truly the strongest after slaying the stars. Being an irredeemable human being is already entangled with my whole entirety. Therefore¡ª ¡°¡­Yeah, yeah. You¡¯re that kind of person, aren¡¯t you?¡± I rolled my eyes at the words that came to me. ¡°And the reason you went out your way to tell me this is because¡­ you want me to take care of Sofia, am I wrong?¡± ¡°No, you¡¯re not.¡± As expected of Lilea. Perhaps it was because we had known each other for a while, but she was very perceptive. ¡°¡­I want to say that you owe me one this time, but are you going to be fine by yourself?¡± ¡°Who knows? I wonder about that too.¡± I wouldn¡¯t say that I¡¯d be alright. The reason for me wanting to challenge the ¡®Magician Hunter¡¯ was because I didn¡¯t think I had a chance of winning in the first place. ¡°All I know is that I want to meddle with him.¡± ¡°Meddle?¡± ¡°Yeah. My kind of meddling.¡± I wanted to smack the ¡®Magician Hunter¡¯ in the face of reality with my own self-righteousness. Assuming that he¡¯s Bermuda¡¯s brother and has been acting upon the government¡¯s made-up information, then by all means I would like to call him an ¡°idiot.¡± A kind-hearted human being turned himself in out of remorse, and the upper echelons took advantage of it, forcing all the dirt on him. And now, over time, the human¡¯s brother, bent on revenge, is going around killing his brother¡¯s colleagues, innocent magicians, in order to mourn for his brother. His colleagues accepted it, thinking that they deserved to die for letting a kind-hearted person suffer the fate he did. What a farce! It¡¯s like a scenario that somebody devised to satisfy their own desires¡­ to make themselves tremble with pleasure. It¡¯s nothing short of sickening. Therefore, to wipe away that feeling of discomfort. To help a friend of Fiole, to whom I owe a debt of gratitude. And to prevent harm to my village. And so, like a good person with a strong sense of justice, I laid out my reasons and grabbed the sword without hesitation. It was as if I was an advocate of justice. There shall be no feelings of dread no more. And that is because¡ª I know that human beings are self-centered creatures by nature. There is no room for such feelings when one is able to affirm one¡¯s own actions. ¡ª¡ª ¡ª¡ª