CLANG—! CLANG—! CLANG—!
Deep sword marks were carved across the Golem’s stone body.
“GRAAAAGH.”
The Golem retreated with a pained groan.
It soon turned and began fleeing into the forest.
THUD—! THUD—!
Its heavy footsteps shook the ground.
The pounding gradually receded into the distance, then suddenly vanished.
“…….”
I spread Mana Field in a wide circle.
I sensed two mana signatures circling broadly around me beneath the ground.
“It abandoned its body.”
[It will not last long. Once a spirit has been corrupted, wandering the world without a body is like walking barefoot upon blades.]
THUD—!
The ground split apart, and the creature’s enormous hand erupted from beneath it.
SWISH—!
I quickly retreated and swung my sword.
THUD.
The Golem’s fingers, too slow to escape, were helplessly severed.
“GRAAAAGH!”
The Golem’s roar shook the ground.
It burrowed underground again.
When I sensed it through Mana Field, it was circling around me once more.
Staying here was convenient for me, but why wasn’t it running away?
“Even if it can’t think rationally, it should know it’s no match for me.”
[Is that truly so?]
“Huh?!”
[The Golem’s true body is the corrupted spirit serving as its mana core. No matter how many times you sever its limbs, it need only create new ones.]
“But you said Golems feel pain.”
[If it can endure a moment of pain and consume prey as appetizing as you, would that not be a profitable exchange?]
“So it’s licking its lips and planning to hunt me down and eat me?”
[Indeed. You should be pleased. It saves you the trouble of hunting it yourself.]
She chuckled as though this were a good thing.
In my previous life, I had only hunted Golems after learning to coat my sword in mana.
“Back then, I just cut through the mana core in a single strike. I never had to think about any of this.”
THUD—! THUD—! THUD—!
The creature continued launching surprise attacks.
Each time, I swung my sword and severed its arms, but all I received in return were cries of pain.
Its true body did not appear to suffer any damage.
[Child, why do you insist upon taking the difficult path when an easier one lies before you?]
Fafnir’s alluring voice echoed beside my ear.
“Are you trying to tempt me?”
[It would be more accurate to call it a rational proposal.]
The rocks and soil surrounding its body could simply be cut along their grain, but the spirit forming its core could only be severed by coating a blade in mana.
The problem was that Mana Sword remained beyond my current realm.
That did not mean I was incapable of cutting that creature down.
After all, I possessed the only Demonic Sword in the world.
“Fine. I’ll let myself be fooled this once.”
[What a surprise, child. I expected you to throw a longer tantrum before agreeing.]
“What kind of disgusting tantrum?”
There had only ever been one reason I drew the Demonic Sword Fafnir.
To use her.
Since things had come to this, learning the extent of her power would not be a bad idea.
“Ignite.”
At my command, she dissolved into flames.
The raging fire wrapped around the blade and burned black.
[At last, I feel as though I have truly returned to the world!]
Horrific screams came from the sword.
The souls of the Demonic Beasts she had consumed were burning fiercely.
[How does it feel, child?]
Her form had disappeared, but her voice throbbed inside my head.
How did it feel?
“Absolutely thrilling!”
A Demonic Sword.
I finally understood why Vlad had surrendered even his soul to her.
I had witnessed only a tiny fragment of her power.
No.
Knowing this was only a fraction made me desire even more.
Like a shipwrecked man gulping seawater while dying of thirst.
Focus.
If she seized control, the soul burning within those flames would become mine.
CRUNCH.
I reversed my grip and drove the sword into the ground.
“Burn!”
KRA-KABOOM—!
Black flames spread through the cracks in the fractured earth.
“GRAAAAGH!”
The Golem erupted from the ground with a horrific scream.
[Now!]
TAP!
I leaped lightly.
Light poured from the corrupted spirits through the hastily constructed, crude shell.
The Golem hurriedly gathered mud to cover that light, but—
“Too late.”
SQUELCH.
I drove the Demonic Sword into the Golem’s chest.
WHOOSH.
Flames flowed along the embedded blade, burning the enemy from within its solid shell.
Exactly two bites.
Fafnir appeared within the black flames and devoured the two spirits like a child eating pieces of cake.
“N-no. Save me…….”
[There is no escape.]
At the final moment, one spirit, its corrupted mana stripped away, reached toward me.
It was soon sucked into the depths of her mouth.
THUD—!
With the spirits serving as its mana core gone, the Golem split in half along my sword.
[That was most delicious.]
Fafnir closed her eyes and licked her lips in satisfaction.
Feeling strangely bitter, I returned the Demonic Sword to my shadow.
The soldiers were running toward me in the distance.
***
THUD—! THUD—!
Thunderous noises continued to echo from the receding forest.
The retreating soldiers headed for the edge of the Forest of Demonic Beasts.
After handing the wounded over to the medical unit, they immediately returned to the forest.
Knight Hans was among them.
‘To think I could not even control a moment of emotion. What kind of pathetic failure was that?!’
He ran with all his strength, berating himself for his foolish mistake.
The farther he went, the more clearly he felt the reverberations of battle.
Deafening impacts befitting the Golem’s massive body shook the forest.
The smell of something burning brushed his nose, while horrific screams intensified his unease.
“Young Master, please endure a little longer.”
Repeating that single wish, he finally reached the end of the forest path.
A new clearing had been created by the Golem’s enormous body.
Hans and the soldiers doubted their own eyes.
The first things they noticed were the Golem’s arms standing upright in various places.
Each one was as large as a roof beam, yet its cleanly severed surface looked like sliced butter.
Next came the earth, split in several directions as though an earthquake had struck.
Parts of it had melted as though someone had lit a fire beneath the ground and worked it with bellows.
“Sir, over there……!”
The shout of a veteran soldier freed Hans’s gaze from the shocking scene.
At the end of the man’s pointing finger lay the remains of the Golem, divided so cleanly in half that it was difficult to believe a human had done it.
And before it sat a single man.
“Third Young Master!”
“Oh! You’re here?”
Pietro was sitting with his back against the Golem’s remains, waving at them.
“Young Master! Are you all right? Were you injured?!”
Seeing Pietro’s pale complexion, they rushed toward him in alarm.
“I’m fine. I’m fine. Nothing’s wrong except that I’m a little tired.”
Pietro waved dismissively, but from close by, no one could claim that he looked well, even as an empty courtesy.
His bloodless, pallid face and trembling hands and feet, as though he stood in the heart of winter, clearly showed that he had reached his limit.
“Hey, Hans.”
“Yes! Please speak, Third Young Master.”
Pietro’s voice gradually weakened, and Hans bent down to listen.
“I’m sorry.”
“Pardon?! Young Master, why are you suddenly apologizing?!”
“I took your revenge without permission. Forgive me.”
Revenge?
The unexpected words left Hans momentarily stunned.
Only after looking at the two-headed Golem’s bisected corpse did he remember telling Pietro about his past the previous night.
“Third Young Master…… How could you say such a thing? It is already a greater honor than I deserve that you remembered my story. There is no need to apologize.”
“Really? Then do me one favor.”
Pietro reached toward Hans, who was struggling to steady his trembling voice.
Hans’s eyes sharpened at Pietro’s words.
“Anything. Name it.”
“Take this body to Fenrir Castle as quickly as possible. Please.”
THUD.
As though his task had ended, Pietro lost consciousness and collapsed.
“Young Master!”
Hans caught him as he fell.
The dawn opening the morning shone upon Pietro’s sleeping face.
***
When I opened my eyes, the first things I saw were Mother’s and Lina’s faces, as always.
“It looks like I didn’t die.”
“Pietro! How can you say such a thing?!”
“Young Master, fainting is not a good habit.”
I slowly sat up, my body aching all over.
“When have I ever made a habit of fainting?”
“I am not certain. I simply feel that you will faint often in the future.”
“Lina! What are you saying?!”
I spoke, Lina replied, and Mother reacted in horror.
Hmm.
I had definitely returned home.
CLICK.
The door suddenly opened, and a large man entered.
“Young Master! You are awake?!”
“Hans?”
I called the familiar man’s name.
“What brings you here?”
“I came to visit you.”
“He remained here the entire time you were unconscious.”
What?
“How long was I unconscious?”
“Today is the third day.”
Damn.
Then what happened to the Demonic Beast Hunt?
“The amount we killed on the first day alone was enough to earn a passing mark. Furthermore, you defeated a high-grade Demonic Beast—the Golem—so His Grace was also satisfied.”
I see.
“Then that’s a relief.”
“Yes, it is. Young Master Pietro…….”
Hans trailed off as though he had something to say.
“What? Is there something you want to tell me?”
The moment our eyes met, Hans bent at the waist at a perfect right angle.
“I apologize!”
“Huh? For what?”
“My worthless desire for revenge caused me to neglect my duties as a knight. Please punish me severely! I shall accept it gladly.”
His booming voice battered my ears.
“Ugh! My ears hurt! Enough, so stand up.”
“But…….”
“Listen. What did Father say?”
Lina answered my question.
As always, she spoke in an indifferent, languid voice.
“His Grace said that you fainted after rampaging like an unbroken colt, Young Master, and that Sir Hans bears no fault.”
“What? Then it’s settled.”
I placed a hand on Hans’s shoulder.
“There’s no such thing as a worthless desire for revenge. Especially when you’ve lost your family.”
“Young Master.”
“I ended up taking your revenge for you without meaning to, but revenge is revenge!”
I vigorously slapped Hans’s hunched back.
“Your revenge is over now. From now on, live for something other than revenge.”
Hans remained silent for a moment with his head lowered.
When he raised it again, firm resolve had settled within his eyes.
“Then I shall live for you, Young Master.”
“What?”
Hans knelt on one knee before me.
“I, Knight Hans, swear that from this moment onward, my sword belongs to you.”
I was left speechless.
I could not think of anything to say.
This man was swearing fealty to me as his lord.
Was I someone worthy of receiving such an oath?
‘What does it matter?’
This was a do-or-die struggle anyway.
The more people I had on my side, the better.
“I’ll be counting on you, Hans.”