“I will meet with the knights of Betlimier to resolve yesterday’s incident. Enjoy the remainder of the day and rest, but do not overexert yourselves.”
After paying the Squires’ travel expenses from her own pocket, Sezelin followed a guard toward the headquarters of the Betlimier Knight Order.
The guard regarded her suspiciously after she appeared without warning alongside dozens of residents from their territory.
“…I heard your explanation, but it is difficult to believe. To think that residents of our territory would commit such heinous acts.”
“Shall I regard your suspicion of a knight acting in Galahad’s name as an insult to Galahad itself?”
Galahad remained a prestigious house despite its decline.
Only a generation ago, it had been a renowned house of swordsmanship that held sway throughout the Empire.
“N-No, of course not. I spoke out of turn.”
The mere guard realized his mistake and bowed his head.
Before long, they arrived at the Betlimier Knight Order’s headquarters, where the image of a massive shield was engraved above the entrance.
After passing through the Training Hall, where spirited shouts echoed incessantly, a man welcomed Sezelin warmly.
“It has been a long time, my old comrade.”
He was Shurat, a former knight of Galahad who now served as the Knight Commander of Betlimier.
“We are hardly close enough to exchange warm greetings. Let us go inside and discuss the matter at hand.”
“You remain as cold as ever.”
“I am a woman of the North.”
Sezelin offered her own attempt at a joke with a sardonic smile.
Shurat looked startled before releasing a sigh.
“…I misspoke. You have changed, Sezelin.”
“Even mountains and rivers change with time. Why would I remain the same? In any case, I will transfer custody of thirty-six residents of your territory to you. Submit them for trial along with this report. If possible, ask your House Head to lift the Restrictions and uncover the full truth behind the incident.”
“Understood. Still, this is impressive. You brought so many people here after traveling for more than half a day.”
Shurat spoke as he accepted the notebook from Sezelin.
However, his expression hardened as he read through its contents.
“…A Fifth-Circle Dark Mage was behind this? Are you certain?”
“A Healer affiliated with Galahad confirmed it.”
“Then the Holy Order may become involved as well. Those bastards had remained quiet for some time, but they have finally crawled back into the open.”
After reviewing every line, Shurat bowed his head to Sezelin.
“I sincerely apologize for the grave danger our negligence brought upon House Galahad. We will also provide compensation to the Adventurer Guild in Haradin.”
“You have become remarkably compliant, Shurat.”
“I learned that allowing pointless emotions to guide me accomplishes nothing.”
Remembering their past, Sezelin smiled bitterly.
“…In any case, we will need extensive security measures during the upcoming Joint Knight Order Combat Training Exercise.”
“Do not worry. I will speak in support of you.”
“Thank you. Then… I will see you there.”
Before Sezelin could leave the Knight Order’s headquarters, Shurat spoke cautiously.
“…The doors of the Betlimier Knight Order will always remain open to you.”
“Go freeze to death.”
After hurling the most humiliating curse known to the people of the North, she walked away without looking back.
For the next week, they advanced through a cold wave difficult for even northerners accustomed to the bitter climate to endure.
“Th-That cliff!”
After their long journey, Galev shouted when he finally saw the Abyssal Chasm.
The sacred site was so vast that it could hardly be described as a mere pit.
The other Squires gazed upon the breathtaking sight and exclaimed in amazement.
“The precipice before you is the Abyssal Chasm, a sacred site where a Dark Element Spirit and an Archdemon are sealed together. You must travel through the tunnels beneath the chasm and reach its deepest point. Neither I nor the other knights will intervene until you reach the lower levels, so make full use of the coordination you have developed. I wish you good fortune.”
They had spent the previous night in a deserted house and enjoyed a relatively peaceful rest.
As a result, their bodies felt considerably lighter.
‘Most monsters within the sacred site can use magic. I will prove that the sword can distinguish itself even against them.’
This expedition might serve as a trial upon which the future of swordsmen depended.
Joshua released a breath filled with resolve, steeled his gaze, and called out to his comrades.
“We are going in!”
“Yes!”
To reach the dizzying depths below, they had to descend a ladder installed by a previous generation of knights.
It had existed since Joshua’s own era.
In other words, the structure was more than a hundred years old.
“D-Does this not seem far too unstable?”
Freya asked nervously as the ladder swayed.
“D-Damn it. Why has no one repaired this thing?”
“You should use nicer words, Hannibal.”
At the very least, she kept the boy firmly under control.
Fortunately, the farther they descended underground, the weaker the blizzard became, allowing the ladder to grow steadier.
An unknown amount of time passed.
‘…Hm?’
Joshua, who was descending at the very front, suddenly stopped moving.
His eyes wavered, and every hair upon his body stood on end.
“What is wrong, Joshua?”
He did not answer Galev.
Instead, he focused every one of his senses upon the surroundings.
Only Joshua, who could read the flow of mana as naturally as breathing thanks to the Sacred Eye, understood their current situation.
“…Everyone, stop. I sense Dark Mana.”
“D-Dark Mana?”
Every Squire recoiled in shock.
Only a week had passed since they had been threatened with death in a village that had entered into a pact with a Dark Mage.
Sezelin, who had been following at the very rear, urgently questioned Joshua.
“Are you certain of what you sensed?”
“…Without a doubt. Nothing else makes every breath feel so repulsive.”
The mastermind behind the Arachne incident—
The Dark Mage believed to have reached the Fifth Circle naturally surfaced in everyone’s mind.
“Why would that person come to this sacred site?”
“…Could the Dark Mage have come to release the Archdemon’s seal?”
Sezelin offered a hypothesis in response to Heria’s question.
“Should we not descend and investigate the situation? If the Dark Mage truly released the demon’s seal, calamity could descend upon the entire continent.”
“You are right, Joshua. If the Dark Mage remains nearby, nowhere will be safe in any case.”
Sezelin and the Squires increased their speed and finally reached the bottom of the chasm, where the tunnels began.
Everyone swallowed a groan.
“They are all… dead.”
Every Paladin of the Holy Order assigned to guard the sacred site had become a cold corpse.
Judging from the decomposition of the bodies and the blood caked entirely black, they had been dead for at least a month.
‘…The enemy must have already left the sacred site. I do not know whether that should reassure me.’
Every Squire except Joshua had frozen like ice.
Amid the terrifying silence, Joshua approached Sezelin and spoke.
“Instructor, should we not continue the expedition? The Dark Mage appears to have left long ago. Now that they have emerged into the open, we must grow even stronger. We also need to reach the deepest point and determine what happened here.”
“…I agree. Is everyone prepared?”
A knight was someone who could die at any moment.
From the moment they placed Galahad’s emblem upon their chests, death would follow them like an old friend.
“…We cannot improve if we fail to overcome our fear.”
Galev was the first to draw his sword.
“Even if the Dark Mage is still here, I will burn them to the bone!”
Hannibal shouted as flames rose from his hand.
The other Squires nodded gravely.
“Contrary to our original plan, I will lead from the front. However, I will avoid intervening in battle unless necessary, so prepare yourselves.”
Monsters grew stronger by absorbing Demonic Energy.
If they had absorbed the power of both an Archdemon and a Fifth-Circle Dark Mage, the result hardly needed to be stated.
Joshua recalled Galahad’s teachings and drew out his Aura.
“The monsters in the upper levels are Hobgoblins! Heria and Lunae will handle any individuals capable of using magic. Since the air is limited underground, Hannibal must control the strength of his spells. We swordsmen will hold the line and keep the enemies pinned down.”
“Yes!”
“…I cannot believe I have to follow a sword-wielder’s orders again.”
Leaving Hannibal’s grumbling behind, they passed the corpses and entered the tunnel.
Torches left by earlier pilgrims were embedded densely throughout the walls.
Mangled Hobgoblin corpses also littered the ground.
Presumably, they had been killed by the Dark Mage.
However, enough time had passed that the monsters, which reproduced and matured quickly, had likely restored their population completely.
“…Enemies are coming. Galev!”
“Yes. I know.”
The moment the two swordsmen moved to the front, enemies poured from the countless side passages throughout the tunnel.
They possessed large tusks, greater strength than ordinary goblins, and even the ability to wield magic.
CLANG―!
Dozens of Hobgoblins blocked the sword swung with Joshua’s full strength.
From the rear, enemies whose magic had not even reached the First Circle unleashed attacks in overwhelming numbers.
“Th-There are far too many! I cannot intercept all of them!”
Heria shouted as she fired fragments of ice.
Even with every Mage providing support, there were not enough of them.
“A battlefield against demons will be no different! We will endure for as long as possible, so neutralize the enemy Mages first!”
“Joshua!”
“We can do this, Galev. No—we must.”
If they could not even overcome Hobgoblins, swordsmen could never return to the front lines.
No matter how numerous the enemies were, anyone unable to protect the comrades behind them could never become a knight.
The convictions of the two boys blazed.
Blue light gathered upon their honed blades.
“HAAAH!”
They roared until their throats threatened to tear and pushed back the enemy forces.
Using the Snow Mountain Form to create armor from mana, they endured the spells that slipped through their allies’ interception.
‘I will not retreat by even a single step.’
Weapons approached from every direction.
The greater the pressure became, the harder Joshua clenched his teeth.
He transformed fear into courage and continued swinging his sword.
RUMBLE―!
Refusing to fall behind, their comrades’ magic erupted in brilliant light.
With that reliable support, the swordsmen created a fleeting opening.
They forced their way into that narrow gap and severed the Hobgoblins’ necks.
Severed heads scattered like flower petals.
They trampled the fallen enemies and cut down those behind them.
“Where do you think you are going?!”
They did not allow even the enemies that broke through the defensive line to escape.
With a single movement, Joshua slaughtered dozens.
A glimpse of the legendary knight appeared before everyone’s eyes.
A beautiful dance of blood unfolded.
Watching Joshua fight beside him, Galev smiled.
‘…As long as you are here, the sword will never die.’
Following the boy’s teachings, Galev pushed against the ground.
He threw off the dozens of enemies surrounding him at once.
After forming mana armor across his entire body, he abandoned all other defense.
While the enemies’ weapons bounced away from him, his lightning-fast thrusts stole their hearts.
It was, in some ways, a reckless method of fighting.
However, with Joshua watching over his shoulder, Galev could unleash everything he possessed without hesitation.
“Joshua, let us push the front line forward!”
“Understood.”
The two swordsmen charged into the barrage created by the Mages.
They adhered strictly to the movements they had agreed upon in advance, ensuring that none of their allies’ attacks struck them.
WHOOSH―
Fire and ice shot past with fierce whistles.
Powerful shockwaves and clouds of dirt battered their skin.
At least a hundred Hobgoblins stood before them.
Nevertheless, the two swordsmen trusted the boy guarding their side, trusted their own convictions, and advanced without hesitation.