New Moon’s voice always rang out whenever we sparred.
But this time, its tone was different.
-You’re working hard.
-Not as much as Tarian, but you’ve done enough for me to acknowledge you.
-Why are you going this far?
With our swords locked together, I smiled at New Moon’s question.
‘Because I want to show him.’
-Show him what?
‘That Tarian’s swordsmanship can move in a different direction.’
At this point, I wanted more than simply to learn his swordsmanship.
I wanted to help him achieve his goal as well.
He was also the first master who had ever taught me the sword.
‘I can’t just stand by and watch my knight struggle alone.’
-You were seriously thinking about that?
I thought of Last Savior.
Tarian had been an excellent companion.
I had traveled with him quite a few times, working together to stop the destruction.
‘I can’t just leave him like this.’
-......
‘And if he makes that face every time he swings his sword, I’m not going to feel comfortable either.’
At first, I had wanted to learn Tarian’s swordsmanship to stop the destruction and survive.
But every time he taught me, I saw his expression turn colder than anything else.
He was one of mine now.
Standing by and doing nothing did not suit me.
-This won’t do.
-I’ll help you, so learn it somehow.
[Successfully manifest killing intent against New Moon (Rare)]
[0/1]
-Just once.
-Succeed, and I’ll teach you Tarian’s swordsmanship.
-I wanted you to learn it directly from Tarian...... but I like you too.
That entire conversation happened during a brief standoff.
“So I just have to do it.”
I gathered the energy throughout my body and pushed Tarian’s sword away.
There was no chance I could beat a knight in a simple contest of strength.
“Hup......”
The moment the clash broke, Tarian immediately followed with a barrage of attacks.
His red mana became several swords and shot toward me from every direction.
Each one was a lethal strike.
‘Killing simply to survive.’
Those were the forms and techniques of Wandering Sword as Tarian currently used it.
A style that forcibly created an opening and inflicted a fatal wound.
But was that really what Tarian wanted now?
‘It’s probably because of his past.’
As I watched him, I thought about my own goal.
Stopping this damned destruction.
To do that, there were people I absolutely had to kill.
“Whew......”
I breathed out softly and watched the killing intent approaching me.
‘As expected, it’s too blatant.’
It was killing intent fired for no purpose other than killing the enemy.
That was something I had felt over and over throughout our spars.
This swordsmanship had countless other ways it could be used.
The killing intent created by the future Tarian, when he had reached the threshold of Sword Master, had been different.
I did not know what he had realized in the future.
But......
‘It was unmistakably swordsmanship.’
It had not been something meant to kill enemies indiscriminately like this.
I closed my eyes for a moment and took a deep breath.
Swordsmanship.
Mana.
I had originally known nothing about any of it.
But enough time had passed that I had begun to grasp at least a little understanding.
‘I have to do it.’
Now.
Not killing intent created merely to kill an enemy.
Killing intent created for the sake of a goal.
‘I won’t be consumed by it. I’ll use it.’
RUSTLE—
Just as mana had a flow, emotions had one as well.
I consciously controlled the killing intent.
Then I gathered the tangled strands together like thread and wove them into one.
And then......
CRUNCH─
I swung.
The killing intent cut apart the attacks rushing toward me and surged forward in one massive flow, only to be blocked by Tarian’s sword.
“Haa......”
Normally, our spars ended because Larissa stepped in to stop us.
But this time, Tarian lowered his sword himself.
“Young Master.”
“That just now......”
“It isn’t complete.”
It was still far from what he wanted.
Far too unstable, and it seemed distant from the direction he hoped for.
“Still.”
It was at least a fragment of another path he had wanted.
Tarian himself had probably known.
Every time he used his swordsmanship, he was consumed by his own killing intent as well.
“Ha, haha......”
Tarian let out a hollow laugh for a moment, then closed his eyes.
At the same time, the red killing intent wavering around his sword slowly began to change.
Red turned blue.
Then, beyond that, it became white.
“Perhaps it was a matter of mindset from the very beginning.”
He spoke with a bitter smile.
I shrugged.
“Thank you for giving me such a great realization.”
“You figured it out on your own.”
I slowly steadied my breathing and looked at him.
His expression was definitely better than before.
[You have successfully completed your Pact with New Moon (Rare).]
[You have acquired ‘Wandering Sword+ (C)’!]
[Wandering Sword+ (C)]
[Rank : Rare]
[Description : Wandering knight Tarian’s exclusive swordsmanship. Changed into its optimal form by the Savior. Allows the user to control and manifest killing intent.]
‘Wandering Sword+......’
Apparently the name had changed because it was no longer the ordinary Wandering Sword, but a form altered into something uniquely mine.
-Hmph!
-You still don’t qualify yet!
-Hurry up and become a knight or something......
New Moon’s prickly voice.
And Tarian’s faint smile.
“Congratulations on your achievement.”
“That’s because I had an excellent teacher.”
That was enough for me.
***
The next day, after acquiring Wandering Sword.
We set off early in the morning, and before long, the sun was high overhead.
I was still absorbed in thinking about the swordsmanship I had obtained the day before when—
“Ian, have you been to Brücke before?”
“Maybe a few times when I was young.”
“I heard the meat pies there are famous. I’m looking forward to them.”
“Are you going on vacation?”
Of course, there was the minor problem known as Johannes.
Still, he was manageable enough.
“Johan, quiet.”
“Ah, yes.”
At one word from Larissa, Johannes shut his mouth.
Soon, long city walls began to appear beyond the moving carriage.
“Oh, they’re small.”
“Johan. Shh.”
“Young Master.”
The carriage grew noisy.
Our destination.
The bridgehead of the Great Invasion.
And a transit city connecting several cities across the North.
“Yeah. We’re here.”
Brücke.
With our destination now right in front of us, I thought back to the conversation I had shared with the Grand Duke.
“It began when we lost contact with the acting governor I had stationed there.”
“Has it been long since contact was lost?”
“Just about a month. After that, I dispatched retainers twice more, but no word ever came back.”
He had sent retainers twice and received no report.
It had only started a month ago, and the Subjugation Festival had already been scheduled.
He probably had not been in a position to investigate immediately.
“When we questioned merchants who had left the city, they said cases of residents and merchants disappearing had also increased.”
“There certainly seems to be a problem.”
I did not know how large the incident truly was.
But at the very least, the situation was clearly not normal.
“Normally, I would have sent Larissa with knights and soldiers......”
“The Imperial Envoy coming from the central government is the problem.”
Of all times, an envoy from the Imperial Palace had to arrive now.
Officially, the visit was meant to commend the Grand Duke for successfully hosting the Subjugation Festival.
‘But in reality, it’s basically surveillance.’
It was another way for the Imperial Family to make it clear that they were watching him.
If Bahen made any conspicuous military movement now, it was obvious how the central authorities would interpret it.
They could not move rashly.
But they could not simply sit still either.
“Can you do it?”
By the time I thought that far, the weight of this task felt different.
“I’ll do it.”
I had no intention of backing down.
I needed this for my goal as well.
‘If anything, this is good.’
If the situation was serious, that meant there was that much more fame and influence to gain.
And I would effectively earn the Grand Duke’s recognition on top of that.
There was no reason to refuse.
“Come to think of it, I heard you are taking the children with you this time.”
“Yes. I made a wager with my lady......”
When I told him Johannes had simply decided to follow me, the Grand Duke burst out laughing.
“Kuhaha! Well, that certainly sounds like him.”
“Are you really fine with this?”
“Of course. Of course I am.”
“To be honest, I thought you would stop him.”
At that, the Grand Duke merely looked at me for a moment.
“Friendly exchange between winners of the Subjugation Festival. Is there any reason for me to interfere?”
“......”
“Besides, they will learn plenty from this.”
Seeing him describe what could easily become a dangerous situation as a learning experience reminded me again what kind of person he was.
Then again, considering how he acted in the story, this was probably more accurate.
‘More warlike than anyone.’
The title of Grand Duke was what restrained him.
If he truly set his mind to it, he was the kind of man who could raise a banner of rebellion against the central government.
It was obvious just how much he had been holding himself back until now.
“Besides, it is the rightful price of a fair wager. Why would I stop her?”
“......”
“If it is Larissa, there is nothing to worry about. She will probably be a great help to you as well.”
“I’m sure she will.”
“Is that all you wanted to discuss?”
I had simply bowed and offered my farewell.
That had been the last conversation I shared with the Grand Duke.
“Ian, what are you thinking about?”
“The situation inside the city.”
By then, Brücke was right in front of us.
Several carriages were lined up before the city walls, waiting to enter.
“This is taking quite a while.”
“Johan, wait.”
I watched the two of them looking strangely carefree for a moment, then shifted my gaze toward the wall.
‘Normally, traffic should move quickly.’
That was how Brücke had been when Ian visited as a child.
It was far from the front line, and more importantly, it was territory belonging to the Grand Duke of the North.
‘He may practically be the king of the North, but this is territory governed by an administrator rather than a noble.’
That was precisely why things had reached this point.
It was a territory he did not govern directly.
And on top of that, he had to remain mindful of the central government.
“Something definitely seems to be wrong.”
“It is certainly strange for entry to take this long. More importantly, the carriages are turning back.”
Most of the carriages that reached the gate were being sent away.
Judging by that alone, something had clearly gone very wrong.
“Hmm......”
Traffic was effectively blocked.
Neither Johannes nor Larissa had ever been here before, so this situation probably felt especially strange to them.
‘An enemy capable of dealing with even the retainers sent by the Grand Duke.’
If the gates had at least been open, the situation might have been better.
But now, things were different.
As I continued thinking, we eventually drew close to the entrance in the wall.
“Why are you saying we cannot enter?!”
“Did I not tell you? Passage into the city has been prohibited.”
“But all of these goods are for the acting governor......”
“It is the acting governor’s order. Turn back.”
The guards blocked the way with spears leveled.
The expressions of everyone in our group hardened at once.
‘Now this is......’
The situation was taking a strange turn.