“…This is as far as I can go. I’ll leave the rest to you.”
After bringing Hannibal and Jemar with her, Freya collapsed where she stood.
“We’ll finish this, so get some sleep.”
“Do not let your guard down, Hannibal. Unlike us, who have expended considerable mana and stamina, our opponents are still in perfect condition.”
“Even if I succumb to Mana Exhaustion, I can still defeat a few sword-wielders.”
“Were you not struggling against a swordsman only moments ago?”
While the two boys argued, Joshua kicked off the ground.
“It appears you have underestimated me.”
WHOOSH―!
The wind split before his lightning-fast draw. The blade gleamed beneath the sunlight and flashed across Hannibal’s eyes.
The terror of death that he had experienced once before rooted the boy’s feet to the ground.
“Pull yourself together!”
However, Jemar’s magic intercepted the sword.
The powerful shockwave and flashing light finally brought Hannibal back to his senses.
“…Who asked you to help me?”
“I will take that as an expression of gratitude.”
“Do not interpret my words however you please!”
His misplaced anger turned toward Joshua. However, Ivali chanted a spell to counter the blazing flames.
“You arrogant little brat. I’m your opponent.”
“Who are you calling a brat?!”
“You are small, and you cannot even control your own temper. What else would that make you?”
“You… I will roast you alive!”
The girl’s provocation succeeded.
Even though Joshua had already closed to striking distance, Hannibal chose to confront Ivali instead.
“Without Freya, there is no one capable of holding his reins.”
Freya had lost consciousness from Mana Exhaustion.
Jemar released a deep sigh, seized Hannibal by the collar, and dragged him backward.
“What do you think you are doing?”
“What kind of Mage refuses to create distance when facing a swordsman?”
“I can decide such things for myself.”
No sooner had Hannibal spoken than Joshua charged forward, cutting through Jemar’s magic.
Ivali countered the Fire Magic that followed.
With nowhere left to retreat, their opponents withdrew behind the wooden barricade. After securing a more advantageous position, they began firing magic once again.
“These insignificant fools… If I fight with my full strength….”
Hannibal’s face was filled with hatred.
‘Why does he despise the sword so deeply?’
From Joshua’s perspective, Hannibal’s hatred appeared to stem from an entirely emotional reason.
Unlike Sezelin, he was not considering Galahad’s future.
SLASH―!
Magic disturbed by such distracting thoughts was easily cut apart.
It was time to bring the exercise to an end.
“Ivali, can you send a signal through this dense smoke?”
“I can, but you will have to buy me some time.”
“Understood.”
The magic Ivali had been using to hold Hannibal back vanished, and the flames that had lost their target surged toward Joshua.
At the same time, Jemar’s explosive spell detonated.
‘I will not use the Sacred Eye.’
That meant Joshua could not block every attack.
He swung his sword in the widest arcs possible and defended only his vital points.
A dizzying impact struck him, hurling his body far across the ground.
“Leader! Please stop treating your body so recklessly!”
“COUGH… I am unharmed.”
Alvan, who had already prepared Healing Magic, rushed over and stopped the bleeding.
“The Weekend Leave Pass… belongs to us!”
In the meantime, Ivali’s heavily condensed magic shot in a straight line toward the mountain’s summit.
“…That is Team 2’s signal. I will respond immediately.”
“At last, it is our turn, Lunae.”
The two Mages who had been waiting impatiently behind the enemy base raced down the slope.
It was Joshua’s adaptation of the Hammer-and-Anvil Tactic.
Teams 1 and 2 would exhaust the enemy’s stamina and mana.
Team 3 would then bring the battle to a decisive end.
“Wh-What is this?!”
“…We have been outmaneuvered.”
BOOM―!
Two elemental spells devastated the wooden barricade and engulfed Hannibal and Jemar.
Already pushed to their limits by the prolonged battle, they finally dropped their Staffs and collapsed.
“We’re here, Joshua!”
“…You both appear unharmed.”
“Yes. We will handle matters here, so please go and support Team 1.”
They restrained all their opponents using the binding methods they had learned during Practical Education.
After Joshua rested against the wooden barricade for a moment, the two Mages who had subdued the remaining members of the 2nd Squad arrived while supporting their wounded allies.
“The three members of Team 1, you all fought exceptionally well. We were able to win entirely because of your sacrifice.”
“You trusted us with such an important responsibility. We merely repaid that trust, Joshua.”
The two swordsmen bumped their fists together and shared their joy.
A short while later, the Instructors who had been observing the exercise revealed themselves.
“Every member of the 2nd Squad has been rendered incapable of further action. The base is therefore considered fully captured. Today’s victory belongs to the 1st Squad!”
At Yukail’s declaration, thunderous cheers shook the snowy mountain.
It was only natural.
Every member of the Squad had distinguished themselves, and they had executed the strategy with a single purpose.
Even Instructor Light, who was usually sparing with praise, did not hold back.
“Both the execution and the result were excellent. The performance of the three who struggled during the previous exercise was especially remarkable.”
“Th-Thank you!”
The three he had singled out answered in unison.
“That concludes today’s training. Rest well, and I will see you at the Knight Order tomorrow.”
By the time they descended the mountain, the sun was already sinking below the horizon.
After enjoying a long nap and finishing dinner, Joshua headed toward the frozen river as usual.
“Where are you going, Joshua?”
It appeared that Galev, who occupied the neighboring room, had also awakened.
“I am going to train. Would you care to join me?”
“Of course!”
The invitation to train together delighted him immensely.
“I should warn you in advance. It will be quite difficult.”
“If it is something you have endured, I will be fine.”
Elves possessed naturally high Mana Affinity, making them ideally suited to Galahad-style training.
Joshua had already been considering teaching Galev. When the boy volunteered of his own accord, Joshua could not conceal how pleased he was.
“…You smile exactly like my father.”
“Is that a compliment?”
“I mean that you look like an old man.”
Joshua was currently only fifteen years old, but he had lived for nearly forty years before his reincarnation.
Having been struck precisely where it hurt, the old man in question quietly cleared his throat without allowing Galev to notice.
Although the first signs of spring had begun reaching the North, its nights remained bitterly cold.
At least it was not snowing.
WHOOSH―
The two swordsmen pushed through the skin-cutting wind and headed toward the river flowing near the Dormitory.
“Galev, come this way for a moment.”
“What is it?”
“We have a guest who arrived before us.”
Joshua, who had been walking ahead, pulled Galev behind a boulder and concealed himself.
“I cannot accept that I lost to sword-wielders!”
Standing in the icy water, Hannibal continuously released flames to prevent them from being extinguished by the violent wind.
Just as swordsmen trained while wearing sandbags, he had created a harsh environment to prepare himself for extreme circumstances.
Hannibal’s methods were particularly severe, however.
“…I cannot lose. I will never be defeated again.”
He released flames in front of himself and enveloped his body in fire.
He intended to overcome the cold while simultaneously developing Fire Resistance.
A mixture of sweat and river water streamed down the boy’s forehead.
“Next time, I will use these flames to….”
Exceptional talent and desperate effort.
Were it not for his twisted disposition, he possessed the potential to become a truly remarkable Mage.
“…Should we not stop him?”
“If we approach him, it will only result in another fight.”
Joshua’s own training was no less extreme than Hannibal’s, so he was hardly in a position to express concern.
‘It appears we will have to find another place tonight.’
Just as they were about to withdraw quietly—
FWOOSH―
A cluster of blue light rippled beside the river.
It was the ever-smiling human Vigor Herb.
“I brought you dinner, Hannibal.”
Freya had recovered from her Mana Exhaustion.
“I told you I was not going to eat.”
“That is why I brought it here myself. Training diligently is admirable, but you have to eat properly if you want to grow.”
“Do not treat me like a child!”
“Then stop behaving like one.”
Freya smiled as she scolded Hannibal.
In the end, the boy used his flames to dry his soaked body and began shoveling soup into his mouth.
“How does it taste?”
“…It tastes like soup.”
“You are so contrary.”
As Joshua watched their conversation, a thought occurred to him.
‘…Perhaps I can speak with Hannibal while the Herb Girl is here.’
The boy was also a future comrade with whom Joshua might one day share life and death.
He was a talented individual who could bring glory to Galahad.
Joshua could not allow him to remain an object of hatred forever.
“Wh-Where are you going?”
“To Hannibal.”
“Will it be all right?”
“It should be now.”
Joshua stepped forward with the worried Galev following behind him.
“Who is there?!”
At the sudden sound of someone approaching, Hannibal’s flames turned toward Joshua.
“S-Sword-wielders?”
“Not sword-wielders. Swordsmen. This is not a combat exercise, so you should not point your magic at your comrades.”
Freya spoke as she greeted them with a cheerful wave.
“…Who are you calling comrades?”
“Sorry. Our boy has a rather foul temper. Were you two also coming here to train?”
“Yes. However, I would like to speak with Hannibal first.”
“I have nothing to discuss with a sword-wielder―”
Joshua glanced meaningfully at Freya.
The girl vaguely understood his intention and nodded brightly.
“Let’s hear him out first, Hannibal.”
“Thank you, Herb Girl.”
“…I told you my name is Freya.”
At last, the two boys faced one another.
However, merely looking at Joshua was enough to make Hannibal furrow his brow.
“Boy, why do you hate the sword?”
“Why should I answer you?”
Freya caught Hannibal as he immediately tried to turn away.
“Joshua genuinely wants to understand you. Even if you dislike him for that, could you not at least tell him the reason?”
“…Because magic is superior to the sword. I simply have no desire to associate with fools who gamble their lives upon a faded relic.”
Nevertheless, Hannibal concealed his true feelings to the very end.
“Is that truly the reason?”
“…Yes.”
Unable to open Hannibal’s heart, Joshua lowered his head bitterly.
Freya consoled him.
“He is not a bad person at heart. He is merely carrying many wounds.”
“I know. It appears he will need more time.”
“Yes. If you ever need my help, ask me whenever you like!”
“Thank you.”
After Freya disappeared as well, Joshua approached the hole Hannibal had broken in the frozen river.
“Joshua, surely you are not….”
“Yes. We are going in as well.”
Galev’s expression grew as dark as the night sky.
A month had already passed since the members of the 352nd Cohort of the Galahad Knight Order began their lives as Squires.
During that time, the 1st Squad under Joshua’s leadership had devoted themselves to training, even refraining from using their Weekend Leave Pass.
As a result, Lunae had reached the Second Circle, while the others had diligently strengthened their fundamentals.
They had shaped themselves into worthy vessels for knighthood.
Now it was time to fill those vessels.
That morning, the members of the 352nd Cohort assembled upon the Drill Ground, where Yukail stood before them.
“Everyone! As previously announced, today you will embark upon a grand journey intended to further your growth!”
It was an annual event conducted by every Knight Order—Elemental Awakening.
Mages who had not yet awakened an Element had to travel to the sacred sites of the North, where the various Spirits dwelled, and form contracts with them.
Although swordsmen could not awaken an Element, forming a contract with a Spirit could still elevate their realm.
“Squires who have already awakened their Elements will accompany the journey to gain experience. Now, beginning with the 1st Squad, announce the Elements you have chosen.”
Alvan chose the Water Element, which was well suited to a Healer.
Batir chose the Earth Element, which a Defensive Mage could utilize effectively.
Verdi selected the Lightning Element to assist her detection abilities.
Ivali chose the Fire Element to further increase her destructive power.
“…The remaining members will all travel to the Abyssal Chasm.”
Galev, Lunae, Joshua, Heria, Hannibal, and Freya.
Every one of them either had no need for Elemental Awakening or wished to awaken the Dark Element.
The monsters inhabiting the Abyssal Chasm resembled demons more closely than any others, making it an effective place to gain actual combat experience.
“Under the guidance of your assigned Instructors and knights, every one of you must return without injury. Now, we march!”