Ch.4545. Approaching (2)

Two days later in the morning, at the knights’ training ground.

I still had injuries, but they had healed enough that moving around wasn’t a major problem. I warmed up by rotating my wrists and shoulders.

“I told you not to overexert yourself while injured.”

Grand Duke Quenore sighed as he gripped a sword with one hand. It was a practice sword with a dulled blade. I had asked him to use a real sword, but the Grand Duke firmly refused, saying he would absolutely not spar if I insisted on using real swords, so I reluctantly switched to a dulled blade. I too set down the Holy Sword and picked up a practice sword as I faced the Grand Duke.

“There’s no guarantee you’ll gain anything from this. Nor is there any guarantee that I can teach you anything.”

“I don’t have much time. And I need something more.”

I said, taking a deep breath. The Grand Duke nodded heavily, saying he understood.

“Come at me first. Since I’ve agreed to spar with you, I won’t take it lightly.”

The Grand Duke then changed his demeanor. It was the combat stance I’d often seen when we fought monsters together. Just that change in his aura created a light breeze that swept past my hair. When he was an ally, nothing felt more reassuring, but facing him as an opponent felt like having a blade against bare skin. An aura where being cut or severed at any moment wouldn’t be surprising.

“I’ll give you my best, within the limits of not injuring you.”

Without answering, I immediately launched myself forward. A thrust, not a slash. The fastest and surest method. But the Grand Duke’s response was nimble as his gaze followed the tip of my sword precisely.

Kiiiiing-!!

Metal scraped against metal as the flat of his blade deflected mine. Then he pushed my blade away with the hilt and delivered a slash that closed in on my inside. I used the force of his push as momentum to leap backward, evading his strike. Landing in mid-air while maintaining balance was familiar to me.

“It didn’t end with the first strike.”

The Grand Duke muttered, looking at me.

“It seems you intended to end it with the first strike.”

“I wasn’t underestimating you. It’s thanks to your skill. I intend to strike you down with a single blow on my next attack, and the one after that as well.”

The Grand Duke then closed the distance between us in an instant. I responded by swinging my sword to meet his first strike. The impact transmitted through the blade made me doubt whether this was truly a sword wielded by a human. But I couldn’t let go of my sword. I couldn’t break my stance. If I only defended, I would break first. If I switched to offense, I would be devoured.

“Kuk-!”

I faced the Grand Duke’s sword while completely on the defensive, unable to look for opportunities or counter-attack. Eventually, before long, I was thrown to the ground, with the Grand Duke’s sword tip pointed at my throat.

“…May I try again?”

At my words, the Grand Duke silently withdrew his sword. I got up, and our swords clashed again. In our second bout, I managed to last longer. The third as well. But from the fourth match onward, the time it took for the Grand Duke to defeat me grew progressively shorter. I couldn’t adapt to the Grand Duke’s sword, but he gradually adapted to mine. The sword paths I could think of were limited, and the Grand Duke responded to those limited paths with countless variations.

Kwadang.

After I was knocked to the ground for the tenth time, the Grand Duke stuck his practice sword into the ground and exhaled briefly. I got up from the ground, staggering, covered in dust. Damn it. I thought I might figure out how to counter his sword as we fought, but that old man’s swordsmanship was different on another level. The Grand Duke stared at me for a moment before speaking.

“There’s something I’d like to ask, if I may?”

I nodded, catching my breath roughly.

“What drives you to fight so desperately?”

Unlike his usual self, the Grand Duke’s voice carried hesitation as he asked me for a reason. I lowered my sword and frowned.

“…There is no reason. And I don’t particularly want to find one.”

Act like a hero to survive?

Maybe that’s it. At least before I came here, I might have thought so. I smiled bitterly as I raised my sword again. Until a week ago, summer breezes were still blowing, but now the cool winds of a battlefield were present. If you climbed the castle walls and looked into the distance, you could see the hazy clouds of the boundary line even from Evernode.

“At least it’s not a loss for Evernode, is it?”

I indirectly told the Grand Duke not to think too deeply about it. Grand Duke Quenore crossed his arms and looked at me quietly.

“If you wanted to become stronger, wouldn’t there be a better way than sparring?”

As the Grand Duke said, sparring was just an alternative. The best option would be to simply ask the Grand Duke to teach me swordsmanship, but even I knew I would certainly be refused…

“I’d rather teach you swordsmanship. Though I may have decided too late, it will certainly make you much stronger than you are now.”

I was so surprised that my eyes widened like saucers. In contrast, Grand Duke Quenore just shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.

“Perhaps it will be the final key to help you attain the enlightenment you’ve been searching for. Your sword seems like that of someone looking for something.”

Wait, how did this old man know I was looking for something like that? As I stared at the Grand Duke in shock and amazement, he burst into hearty laughter and vigorously drew his sword.

“If you wish to refuse, that’s fine. I’m not forcing you.”

Refuse? Not a chance! Even the original protagonist wouldn’t refuse that. I quickly shook my head and spoke. The Holy Sword’s guidance was good, but learning directly through sword-to-sword instruction would surely be far more effective.

“No. Please, I would be grateful.”

“I thought as much.”

Grand Duke Quenore walked over to me and suddenly poked my side with his practice sword, correcting my posture. I let out an unseemly sound as I held my sword in a ready stance.

“Well then, let’s begin. I should have used this method from the start. You’re injured, after all.”

Grand Duke Quenore looked at me with a twisted smile. Damn it. I feel like I’ve made a wrong choice.

“Hold your sword straight. I’ll point out each problem I noticed while sparring with you.”

I swallowed dryly as I looked at the Grand Duke with fearful eyes. Indeed, one should be careful even with their thoughts.

==

“Replenish arrows here!”

“Be thankful we’re fighting in summer, you lot. You’ve never experienced an invasion before, have you?”

The walls were bustling with activity. Soldiers moved busily along the grand outer walls of Evernode, preparing for the invasion. With no one knowing when the monsters would surge in, the more experienced knights and soldiers could sense from the dropping temperature that war was not far off.

“We don’t know when those creatures will come. Keep your eyes peeled.”

Periodically, every few years, monsters would pound on Evernode’s walls. Those who had experienced it before knew that this invasion would proceed in a completely different manner from previous ones. Perhaps the great invasion from 10 years ago was the closest comparison. The knights remained tense, not taking their eyes off the boundary line for even a moment.

The mages were too busy researching spells to unleash upon the monsters to catch a break. Daphne, who had spent two straight nights guiding the mages, met George as he ran along the walls, dark circles under her eyes.

“How’s the situation?”

“The sky is getting cloudier. The boundary line has come very close. The forest where our patrols used to go is now covered by a veil and can’t be seen. The war will start today, or tomorrow at the latest.”

Daphne frowned and nodded. It would have been great if Ilroy were with them, but the Grand Duke had ordered him not to show his face on the walls until he fully recovered from his injuries. She too preferred that Ilroy return healthy rather than wandering around with an unstable injured body.

“Has Marianne returned?”

“Yes. She’s been on standby since yesterday. Once Ilroy returns, the four of us will move together. If the war starts before Ilroy fully recovers—”

Kugugung.

“…We’ll fight from our positions while waiting for Ilroy.”

Soldiers and knights alike began running along the walls. The ground was rumbling. Unlike the vibrations when a giant moved, this was the tremor caused by thousands or tens of thousands of monsters charging all at once. Daphne swallowed dryly and turned her head toward the outside of the wall.

“Monsters approaching!!”

“Everyone to your positions! Don’t panic! Follow your training!”

Along with Grand Duke Quenore’s sharp voice commanding the soldiers, Evernode’s troops prepared their spears and swords. George frowned and looked at Daphne.

“I’ll go to my position. You should act with the mages.”

George then lowered the shield on his back and ran frantically somewhere. Daphne looked at the scene beyond the walls and held her breath.

The trees were shaking. No, they were falling one by one. What was advancing, toppling the trees, was a wave of monsters. Large monsters like ash-gray bears led the charge, with relatively smaller monsters following behind.

“Send up everyone below the walls! Mages, prepare for bombardment!”

Light flashed as mages throughout the walls prepared their spells. Daphne too drew up her magical power, activating a spell to sweep away the monsters. As soon as the vanguard of monsters emerged from the forest, Grand Duke Quenore shouted.

“Open fire!”

Tudududu.

Magic and arrows rained down. Monsters that fell in the front were trampled by those rushing from behind. Blood and flesh burst and poured out from the crushed bodies of monsters. Far from slowing down, the advance accelerated as more monsters emerged from the forest.

“They’re going to reach the walls.”

“Prepare to drop them. Knights will handle the creatures climbing the walls, while mages continue to strike the main force.”

The Grand Duke drew his sword.

“They’ll try to cross over in the initial phase. Don’t let even a single one cross these walls!”

“Yes, understood!!”

The monsters clung to the walls. Bulky monsters first rammed their bodies against the base of the walls. They formed a foundation like footings, and other monsters piled on top. Monsters don’t care about their bodies. Large monsters formed a wall, and monsters climbed on top of them, then more monsters climbed on those. A tower of flesh built up in front of the wall. When monsters and stones rained down to kill them, their corpses became new footholds.

“Use fire magic!! Don’t let them cling to the corpses!”

Fire caught on the monsters’ corpses. The wall of bodies collapsed, forming a curtain of fire, and monsters climbing the walls either fell to the base or died screaming in the flames. But—

Kwadreuk.

There were some that desperately clung to the walls and managed to climb up. Grand Duke Quenore stood on the wall, looking down at the climbing monsters. At his noble aura and presence, the monsters let out low growls.

“You creatures cannot set foot on this land.”

The Grand Duke’s sword emitted an aura. Dozens of monsters climbing the wall perished instantly. Nothing could stand in the Grand Duke’s way. He “walked” freely along the wall, swinging his sword to dispatch monsters. Monsters were drawn to Grand Duke Quenore by his aura, only to be turned into pieces of meat, spraying blood with a single gesture from him.

Evernode’s other knights and soldiers also drew their swords, skillfully killing monsters and dropping them outside the walls. Monsters falling from the walls plunged into the fire pit below.

“Aren’t you late?”

The Grand Duke calmly turned his head to look at a knight climbing the wall. Ilroy frowned as he watched Evernode’s forces slaughtering monsters with such expertise. Grand Duke Quenore burst into hearty laughter seeing that scowling, unpleasant face. Ilroy sighed with a grumbling voice as he surveyed the battle situation.

“…I rushed here urgently, but at this rate, there’s nothing for me to do.”