“Are you all right?”
As soon as Galev defeated the Vampire, he hurriedly supported Joshua.
“Of course… I am.”
“Do not force yourself to stand. Lean on me.”
“…I will.”
His Energy Center throbbed from the price of drawing out an excessive amount of mana.
However, that sacrifice had allowed him to defeat a powerful enemy, so Joshua did not regret his decision.
“Joshua!”
As every Squire from the rear rushed toward him, Sezelin was once again left astonished.
‘…The appearance of a child like this within the declining Galahad must have been prepared by the Supreme God.’
In another five years, there would not be a single person in the North who did not know Joshua’s name.
If someone like him led from the front, perhaps other swordsmen would willingly follow behind him and risk their lives.
He possessed the talent to usher in another age of heroic romance.
He was a hero capable of bringing about revolutionary progress in the sword.
Throughout their journey, Sezelin’s view of Joshua had changed dramatically.
“…None of you need to worry. I am merely somewhat dizzy. I have suffered no internal injuries.”
“That is a relief, but… can you not fight without getting hurt?”
Freya asked worriedly.
“If I am not injured, then one of you will be.”
“At the very least, I do not want you to be injured in my place.”
“That is a request I cannot grant.”
Joshua forced a smile.
He considered sacrifice for his comrades the greatest source of pride and the highest virtue. He would embrace every pain he possibly could.
“Can you walk, Joshua?”
“Of course, Instructor.”
“Good. Every Squire will now enter the deepest point. Ordinarily, there should be no further monsters, but since a Dark Mage has visited this place, we cannot know what may happen. Do not lower your guard.”
They answered thunderously, opened the door guarded by the Vampire, and stepped into the source of the sacred site.
A pool filled with pitch-black spring water lay before them, alongside a Sealing Formation that had been shattered into pieces.
The Demonic Energy filling the space was so dense that even the Squires with poor mana perception frowned.
It felt as though harsh cigarette smoke were being poured directly into their lungs.
Joshua abandoned breathing through his nose. Covering his mouth, he barely drew in small amounts of air.
However, there was a far greater problem.
‘…As expected, the Archdemon has been released.’
It was the enemy Joshua and Freya Estelle had sealed away a hundred years ago.
The nightmare of knights known as the Demon King’s Left Arm, who had driven countless northerners to their deaths.
The strongest creature, possessing an immortal body.
Joshua was probably the only person in the present age who properly understood its strength.
“…This is disastrous. Merely strengthening our defenses will not be enough. On our return journey, we must send official notices not only to Betlimier but to every participating force and request the attendance of individuals at the Knight Commander level.”
When the Squires saw Sezelin’s rigid expression, their legs began to tremble.
The senior knights also wore grim expressions as they recorded the deepest area with their Crystal Orbs.
“Instructor, should we not still do what we came here to accomplish?”
“I was about to say the same. Handling the aftermath of this incident is our responsibility. The Squires will proceed according to the original plan. Make contact with the spring water and form your Spirit Contracts!”
Freya, who wished to awaken an Element, and Joshua and Galev, who sought to advance their realms, stepped forward.
“What if the High-Rank Spirit refuses to answer us?”
“If a Spirit refuses to take the hand of someone who possesses conviction, then there is no reason to form a contract with it in the first place.”
Joshua reassured the anxious Galev.
Thanks to him, the boy’s trembling hand grew still.
The three Squires entered the pitch-black spring side by side.
‘It has been a long time since I felt this.’
Joshua’s body slowly sank as though he had fallen into a swamp.
However, breathing instead became easier.
It felt as though he were lying in a warm bed touched by the heat of a fireplace.
The gentle current enveloped his entire body, and his consciousness gradually grew hazy.
It was perfect comfort.
The rest offered by endless darkness, where nothing could be seen even an inch ahead, was profoundly empty—and therefore irresistibly sweet.
― A new seed has arrived.
At some point, a gentle and beautiful voice echoed beside his ears.
― Boy who holds the sword, for what purpose do you desire my power?
The restoration of Galahad and the sword.
Beyond that, Joshua wished to restore the heroic romance the world had lost and create an age in which justice would never die.
He wanted to stand at the center of that great cause.
Once he had fulfilled his duty, he also wanted to experience the love he had never known in his previous life, have children, and live a peaceful life.
Naturally, at the end of that life, he had to reach Valhalla.
― …Your dreams are vast, and your desires are many. However, boy, you have received the blessing of the heavens. You may be capable of achieving them all. Therefore, I ask that you create a world where even ordinary people may freely pursue their dreams.
The overwhelming majority of young sprouts eventually became frustrated by the walls the world placed before them as they grew older.
Those who confronted cruel reality and fell into despair began walking the forbidden path of magic.
Most Dark Mages were born in that manner.
The person who had attacked the Abyssal Chasm was likely no different.
Understanding the Spirit’s true intention, Joshua established a new objective.
‘I will create a world where the process of one’s efforts can be acknowledged, rather than only the final result. Chivalry demands that we always pursue the highest ideals.’
― I look forward to seeing how the world has changed a hundred years from now.
His Energy Center opened, and the Mana Channels within him cleared.
The Spirit’s power began flowing through them.
Although he could not awaken an Element, the capacity of his Energy Center—the vessel of his Aura—was expanding at an astonishing rate.
‘…At this rate, I will reach the Intermediate Expert realm before long.’
Within the Expert realm, advancing a single stage ordinarily required several years.
His rate of growth was truly absurd.
Joshua eventually used the Galahad breathing technique to gather and stabilize the surging energy.
Power overflowed throughout his body, leaving him eager to fight the Vampire once again.
When his reason returned, his body floated back toward the surface.
Strangely, he was not wet in the slightest.
As Joshua stepped out of the spring, the waiting Squires welcomed him.
The other two had already completed their contracts.
“You have clearly grown stronger, Joshua.”
“Thank you, Instructor.”
“Then, now that everyone has returned, we will head back to the surface. Let us return to Haradin.”
It had been a long two weeks for everyone who had participated in the Sacred Site Pilgrimage.
Because the journey had been so eventful, the Squires had learned a great deal.
They had seen a wider world.
These experiences would become signposts along the road they would walk in the future.
Flower petals drifted throughout the streets of Haradin, which had fully entered spring.
Not a trace of the cold remained.
Even the usually stern warriors of the North wore broad smiles.
Spring was that kind of season.
Immediately after returning, Sezelin ordered patrols of the slums and the confiscation of narcotics.
The remaining Squires returned to their family homes for the first time in a long while.
“Hm? Who are you?”
When Joshua reached the house situated a short distance from the brothel district, Serena had just returned from the Academy.
“Your elder brother has returned.”
“B-Brother?”
It was the first time Serena had ever been so pleased to see her eccentric brother, who possessed the Sacred Eye yet insisted upon wielding a sword.
After living apart from the family she had once seen every day, she had felt his absence far more deeply than she had imagined.
That was why she rushed to the entrance without even putting on her shoes.
“Did you miss me so much?”
“Wh-Who missed you? I was merely surprised that you returned safely after traveling so far.”
“I completed every assignment you gave me. Whenever I held my notebook and picked up my pen, I found myself thinking of you.”
“Save lines like that for your girlfriend!”
Serena’s cheeks reddened as she kicked Joshua in the shin.
It was the girl’s particular way of expressing affection, and the blow barely hurt.
“Anyway, I’m glad you studied magic diligently. Looking at the flow within your Energy Center, it seems your Spirit Contract was completed safely. However, several places appear faint, so you must have overworked the Sacred Eye again.”
“You can see all of that?”
“…I do not particularly enjoy saying it myself, but I am something of a genius.”
She was not merely something of a genius.
She possessed talent that appeared only once in a century.
“What Circle are you in now?”
“I reached the Fourth Circle two months ago. Everything at the Academy is boring. Even the third-year classes are far too easy. I plan to skip another grade next month.”
“…As your brother, I should not say this, but you are remarkably insufferable.”
“I am used to hearing that.”
Serena shrugged.
“Apart from the classes, is life there comfortable? The Dormitory and your relationships with the other students, for example.”
“The Dormitory is luxurious enough to rival the finest inn, and the food is excellent. Apart from noble children constantly asking me to become their concubine, I am satisfied with life there.”
“…Who exactly has been bothering you?”
“Those damned people from the Ducal House of Murginu.”
“I will remember that name.”
They continued sharing news about their lives and made up for their time apart.
That evening, they ate the special stew prepared by their mother, who had returned early from the brothel.
Joshua had to return to the Knight Order the following day.
Before going to sleep, he therefore visited Serena’s room, which had been decorated entirely in pink.
“I apologize when you must be tired, but there is something I would like to ask.”
“It is fine. I am not sleepy yet. What is it?”
“Serena, what do you intend to do after graduating from the Academy?”
“I will probably work at the Magic Tower, like everyone else.”
“…Is your goal to become the Magic Tower Master?”
Reading the true intention behind Joshua’s slightly stiffened expression, Serena smiled.
“You want me to devote my life to Galahad, do you not?”
“More precisely, I hope that you and I will pursue the same goal. Calling you exceptional is not enough to describe your talent as a Mage.”
Serena considered her answer for a moment before shaking her head.
“I’m sorry, Brother. I do not want to spend my life bound to a particular house. I do not understand convictions or ideals, and I do not have any definite goal. However, I will promise you one thing. If you ever need my help, I will come to you, no matter when or where.”
“…As expected, your soul is free.”
“I still dream of flying like a bird.”
Joshua recalled the Flight Magic Serena used as casually as breathing.
“Then you must live within your dream every day.”
“Yes. That is why I am always happy.”
As her brother, he could not bind his younger sister’s life.
Joshua released all his lingering regret with a breath and gently stroked Serena’s hair.
“Have a good night.”
“You too. As I said, ask me for anything whenever you need my help.”
When Joshua closed his eyes beneath the weight of his exhaustion, morning arrived in what felt like an instant.
As usual, he left home while his mother and Serena saw him off.
“L-Leader! I missed you terribly!”
“I felt the same, Alvan.”
When Joshua arrived at the Knight Order, Alvan, who had traveled to the Sanctuary of Water, welcomed him enthusiastically.
“You have grown another level stronger, Joshua.”
“Of course, Instructor.”
He greeted Light, as well as Batir, Ivali, and Verdi, who had respectively traveled to the Sacred Sites of Earth, Fire, and Lightning.
For the first time in a month, the 1st Squad was complete.
After recovering through three days of light training, the Squires gathered upon the Drill Ground to participate in the long-awaited Joint Knight Order Combat Training Exercise.
Yukail naturally stepped onto the platform.
“Everyone, you have worked hard during your journeys to the sacred sites. Now it is time to display the abilities you have honed! Announce Galahad’s return before all who witness you! Make the emblem engraved upon your hearts shine! Honor, glory, and the privileges of knighthood await you!”
“WAAAAH―!”
Their excited cheers erupted.
They marched out of the Training Hall with powerful steps.
Their destination was Lombardia, the heart of House Betlimier, situated upon the northern frontier.