Volume 1: The Fourth Holy Grail War
Chapter 16: The Beginning of a Legend
The wind carried the scent of burning wood.
Flames devoured one house after another, their crackling drowning out the desperate cries of the villagers.
Children hid behind their parents.
Some knelt on the ground in despair.
Others could only watch as everything they had spent their lives building turned to ashes.
Above them…
Several fairies laughed as though watching an amusing performance.
For beings born from Mystery…
The suffering of short-lived humans meant little.
To some of them…
It was simply another game.
Ren stood between the villagers and the fairies.
Gungnir rested lightly in his hand.
Its divine radiance remained sealed beneath layers of ordinary mana.
Only the faint golden runes engraved along its shaft shimmered softly.
Morgan stood beside him, her silver hair swaying gently in the rising heat.
Several Primordial Runes quietly revolved around her fingertips.
Neither sibling showed fear.
One fairy floated forward.
She appeared no older than a young woman.
Golden wings shimmered behind her.
She tilted her head curiously.
“…Human children?”
Another fairy burst into laughter.
“Have humans become so desperate that they’re sending children to fight us?”
A third fairy smirked.
“How adorable.”
Ren looked at them calmly.
“You’ve destroyed enough.”
“Leave.”
For a brief moment…
Silence fell over the battlefield.
Then—
The fairies laughed even harder.
“Did you hear that?”
“He’s ordering us.”
“A little human is giving commands.”
The winged fairy covered her mouth as she giggled.
“And what happens if we refuse?”
Ren sighed softly.
“…Then we’ll stop you.”
The laughter stopped.
One fairy’s expression twisted with annoyance.
Without warning—
Dozens of crystalline spikes materialized in the sky.
They shot toward Ren like a rain of arrows.
Morgan calmly stepped forward.
Three runes appeared.
Algiz.
Isa.
Eihwaz.
The runes expanded into a translucent barrier.
BOOM!
The crystal spikes shattered upon impact.
Fragments scattered harmlessly across the ground.
The villagers stared in shock.
“…Magic…”
“…Human magecraft?”
“No…”
“Those symbols…”
“They’re runes!”
Before the fairies could react—
Ren moved.
He didn’t charge recklessly.
Instead…
He disappeared from where he stood.
The next instant—
He was already in front of the attacking fairy.
“…!”
Her eyes widened.
She barely raised her hand before Gungnir’s shaft struck her wrist.
Crack.
Her spell collapsed instantly.
Ren spun the spear.
The blunt end struck her abdomen.
Silence.
The remaining fairies froze.
“…Impossible.”
“How can a human move that fast?”
Ren didn’t answer.
Years of training beneath Odin had taught him something important.
A battle was not won through conversation.
Only through action.
Three fairies attacked simultaneously.
One manipulated fire.
Another controlled violent winds.
The last summoned vines from beneath the earth.
Morgan’s voice remained calm.
“Ren.”
“Left.”
He trusted her completely.
Without looking—
He stepped sideways.
A pillar of flame narrowly missed him.
Morgan raised her staff.
Raidho.
Kenaz.
Sowilo.
Three runes intertwined.
A brilliant beam of light erupted forward.
The fire fairy barely erected a barrier before the spell overwhelmed it.
She was thrown from the sky.
The wind fairy attempted to retreat.
Ren planted Gungnir into the ground.
His fingers traced several runes through the air.
Ansuz.
Raidho.
Laguz.
The surrounding winds abruptly changed direction.
The fairy lost control of her own magic.
“…What?!”
Before she recovered—
Ren was already above her.
The spear descended.
Its shaft struck the back of her neck.
She fell unconscious before reaching the ground.
Only the vine fairy remained.
Fear filled her eyes.
“W-We surrender!”
Ren stopped.
Morgan lowered her staff.
The villagers watched nervously.
The fairy trembled.
“…Please…”
“We were only following orders…”
Ren frowned.
“…Orders?”
She nodded frantically.
“Our lord commanded us to drive the humans away.”
“If we disobeyed…”
“…we would have died.”
Morgan exchanged a glance with Ren.
This wasn’t random cruelty.
Someone had orchestrated the attack.
Before they could ask another question—
A terrified scream echoed from deeper within the village.
Ren immediately turned.
A collapsed building.
Beneath the burning debris…
A little girl cried desperately.
“My mother!”
“My mother is still inside!”
Without hesitation—
Ren rushed forward.
The heat was intense.
Smoke filled the air.
Morgan quickly activated several cooling runes around the collapsing house.
The flames weakened.
Ren drove Gungnir beneath a massive burning beam.
“…Hah!”
With one powerful movement—
He lifted it aside.
The watching villagers gasped.
The beam weighed several tons.
Yet the young boy moved it as though lifting an ordinary log.
Inside…
Ren quickly carried her outside.
The little girl immediately embraced her mother, tears streaming down her face.
“Mom!”
The woman slowly opened her eyes.
“…Lina…”
The two cried together.
The elderly village chief slowly approached Ren.
His hands trembled.
Then…
To everyone’s surprise…
He knelt.
“No…”
“Please…”
Ren hurriedly helped him stand.
“You don’t need to do that.”
The old man shook his head.
“You saved our village.”
“You saved our families.”
“You even spared those fairies after learning they weren’t acting of their own will.”
He looked at Ren with gratitude.
“…I’ve lived for over sixty years.”
“I’ve never seen someone like you.”
Around them…
One villager after another lowered their heads.
Not because Ren demanded respect.
But because they genuinely wished to thank him.
Morgan quietly watched the scene.
A gentle smile appeared on her face.
She remembered Odin’s words.
“Power exists to protect.”
Ren wasn’t using his strength to seek recognition.
He simply couldn’t ignore those in need.
Just as he had always done.
As the sun slowly began to set…
The fires were finally extinguished.
Together, Ren and Morgan helped rebuild what they could.
They healed the injured.
Buried the dead with dignity.
Prepared food.
Repaired homes using Primordial Runes.
By nightfall…
Hope had quietly returned to the village.
That evening…
The siblings prepared to leave.
The villagers gathered at the entrance.
The little girl Ren had rescued ran toward him.
She held a small flower woven into a simple bracelet.
“…Big brother.”
“For you.”
Ren blinked in surprise.
“You don’t have to—”
“I want to.”
He smiled and accepted it.
“…Thank you.”
The girl beamed.
“Will you come back someday?”
Ren looked at the village.
At the people who had begun smiling again.
Then he nodded.
“If you ever need help…”
“We’ll come.”
As Ren and Morgan disappeared into the forest…
None of them noticed an old traveler watching from a distant hill.
A wide-brimmed hat concealed his face.
His single visible eye followed the siblings until they vanished among the trees.
A faint smile tugged at his lips.
“…So.”
“They’ve finally begun.”
The old traveler turned and continued walking.
His footsteps faded into the evening breeze.
Far behind him…
The villagers would remember that day for the rest of their lives.
The day two young travelers appeared from nowhere…
And reminded them that even in the darkest times…
There were still people willing to fight for strangers.
Though none of them realized it yet…
The first whispers of a new legend had already begun to spread across Fairy Britain.
End of Chapter 16