Elune's Flash
Having crossed the borderlands, I set my first destination as Oblein, the capital of this nation.
It was a necessary waypoint on the road to Greenfall, and I also wanted to experience the culture unique to this place. A country where every citizen shared a single faith—I was more than a little curious what sort of culture that would produce.
As I walked along the road in a daze, people began to gather around me. None of them seemed to have any particular design; we simply shared the same destination, and so a crowd had formed of its own accord. Watching those ahead of me fall naturally into the throng, I wondered if this was some unspoken rule among adventurers.
Just then, a woman rode up beside me. Like me, she was on horseback, and her pure white clerical robes were embroidered with a large moon.
"Hello, adventurer. Would it be all right if I offered a small prayer for you?"
Her voice was soft, free of any pressure. The careful way she spoke made my wariness fade without my noticing.
I tilted my head and asked back, "A prayer? For me, all of a sudden?"
"It is the teaching of Elune, the Moon Goddess. We bestow a small blessing upon everyone who enters this country."
"Is it all right if I refuse?"
"Of course. It is not compulsory."
At her answer I glanced around. Just as she said, other clerics had drifted up beside the other adventurers and were quietly reciting prayers. The fact that neither the adventurers nor the merchants looked put out suggested this custom had been going on for a very long time. It seemed this was simply the culture of the place.
"Then please do."
The woman beamed at my words and clasped her hands, beginning her prayer.
"O Elune, we seek Your light that gently banishes the dark. Guide this adventurer's steps..."
When the quiet prayer ended, she cracked one eye open and asked, "Did a small light circle around you, by any chance?"
I shook my head. A small light? Nothing at all had happened while she prayed.
She gave a gentle smile and nodded. "I see. Understood."
"Is the prayer finished?"
"Yes. The prayer for you is complete. Elune will guide you safely to Oblein."
With that she carefully withdrew, moving on to recite her prayer for another adventurer.
With so many clerics about, the atmosphere among the adventurers inevitably grew quiet and soft.
Once we had left the borderlands completely behind and a great fork in the road appeared, I urged Nightmare into a run.
Nightmare could gallop at full speed for more than ten hours a day. Accustomed to that pace, I could no longer bear the sluggish travel of other adventurers. Across wide plains, through forests, and over mountains beyond—Nightmare became a single streak of wind and raced along the road at my will.
Taking only the barest rest, we ran for ten full days. At last Nightmare and I reached the fortress city called Oblein, capital of this nation.
Perhaps we had arrived during a religious ceremony; a soft hymn drifted out from beyond the walls. Some of the adventurers around me even found themselves humming along to the pleasant melody.
I led Nightmare toward the gate. Soldiers stood there controlling entry, and even their armor bore the crest of Elune, the Moon Goddess.
"Purpose?"
"Just sightseeing."
"Have you worked as an adventurer elsewhere?"
"Yes."
The soldier nodded at my answer and drew a small slip of paper from his breast.
"If you mean to work as an adventurer here as well, take this note to the Adventurers' Guild. The country has been forming monster-subjugation parties lately—decent pay to be had."
I nodded, accepted the note, and was granted entry at once.
Inside the walls I followed the gentle hymn. It led me to a vast plaza where, as I had expected, a special ceremony was in full swing. An enormous throng of clerics—most of those in the city, it seemed—were singing, and on a small dais before them an elderly priest stood with a thick book open, scattering soft light.
What struck me as odd were the boys and girls lined up neatly just below the dais. Every one of them wore a sword.
What kind of ceremony was this?
I approached a townsman who was watching nearby and spoke.
"Excuse me."
"Hmm?"
The man who turned at my call looked down at me. He wore a small necklace from which hung the symbol of Elune, the Moon Goddess.
"What is that ceremony for?"
"Ah, you're an adventurer, I take it. Arrived today?"
"Yes."
"Today's the day the swordsmanship tournament begins."
"A swordsmanship tournament...?"
"See those children standing up front?"
"Yes."
"They're the ones competing."
I nodded at his answer. Lucky me. If I had not hurried, I would have missed the spectacle entirely.
I stroked Nightmare's mane and watched the proceedings. After the hymn came the elderly priest's prayer—far longer and more intricate than the one the female cleric had offered at the border.
How much time passed, I could not say. When the lengthy prayer finally ended, the clerics who had filled the plaza began to stream out. In their place, guards appeared and started moving barricades into position. It seemed the tournament would begin right here.
In the solemn atmosphere a small ring took shape, and two boys stepped into it. Facing each other, they drew their swords. Before they crossed blades they offered a brief, formal prayer. We were too far away, and their voices too soft, for me to catch the words.
The moment the prayer ended, the boys began to swing at one another.
I stared, mouth hanging open. The preparatory stance for a downward cut, and the motion that followed, were painfully familiar. From their blades, moonlight flickered—clumsy, yet unmistakable—and flew toward each other only to shatter into pieces.
"Ah..."
"This year's kids are pretty good."
The voices around me began to fade. I frowned and focused on the boys' movements. I wanted nothing more than to get closer and study them properly, but the guards controlling the crowd made that impossible.
Clang—!
The first match had a winner. Regardless of victory or defeat, the two boys smiled lightly at each other, shook hands, and left the ring.
I stood lost in thought. The swordsmanship those boys had just displayed was far too familiar. How could I ever forget the first sword style I had learned in this world? Even if the only proper techniques I had been taught were two.
Who would have guessed I would learn the Gatekeeper's origins here?
I spoke again to the man watching beside me.
"Hey, mister."
"Hmm? Me? I'm not a 'mister.'"
"How does one learn that sword style?"
"Caught your interest, has it? Sorry, but it's not something just anyone can pick up."
"Then who does learn it?"
"It's the sword style of the Holy Knights who serve Elune, the Moon Goddess—Elune's Flash. Those children will become Holy Knights one day. If you wanted to learn it, you'd have to..."
I let the rest of his words wash over me. New boys were already climbing into the ring. Eyes wide, I locked onto their every motion, determined to burn even a single additional movement into my mind.
"Hey. Young lady. Are you even listening?"
"I need to concentrate. Don't interrupt."
"Well, I'll be..."
The moonlight that bloomed from the sword tips was free and fluid. Sometimes it stretched thin and long into a crescent; sometimes it unfurled from below into the full moon. As more competitors took the stage, my head only grew more tangled. The boys and girls all used similar techniques, yet the finer points differed—balance of power, speed, the precise timing of each swing. Everything was different.
Which way was correct? Whose movements should I follow to complete the sword style called Elune's Flash?
When the tournament champion was finally decided, everyone offered heartfelt congratulations. The hymn rose once more, and the winning boy was presented with a bouquet and a splendid longsword that looked extremely valuable. Soft moonlight flowed from the blade; it must have been worth a fortune.
The ceremony ended and the crowd began to disperse. When the soldiers who had controlled traffic ordered everyone to clear out, I had no choice but to withdraw as well.
I found a suitable inn and rented a room.
"Hah..."
My head was a mess. The movements of dozens of boys and girls tangled together and then vanished. Frowning, I drew my sword inside the room.
I already possessed the swordsmanship of the ancient dwarves. There was no reason to obsess over Elune's Flash. Yet my heart refused to agree. What had made me who I was today were those two unfinished techniques—the downward cut that painted moonlight, and the thrust that reclaimed the fallen light and sent it flying. I had never been able to learn what came after, and so I had never been able to perform it. But now it was different. Awkward though it might be, I had stolen the next movements from the tournament.
My faintly trembling blade began to move, slowly at first. The motion pushed aside the soft moonlight drifting into the room and traced a crescent moon. My breath shuddered. How could I not be overjoyed when the very thing I had always longed for was finally unfolding from my own hand?
But that feeling soon turned to disappointment. Having merely stolen the forms without proper instruction, no true power rode the blade. My breathing collapsed, the balance of force went awry, and my stance crumbled.
"Hah..."
With a deep sigh I looked out the window—and spotted a strangely familiar boy walking down the street.
"Ah...!"
A hazy memory snapped into focus. I had seen him only a few hours earlier; I knew exactly who he was. The champion of the swordsmanship tournament.
The instant the recognition struck, the boy slipped into a narrow alley.
In a panic I threw myself out the window. Just as I was about to slam into the ground from the second-story height, a small burst of wind exploded beneath my feet and slowed the fall for a moment.
Thud—!
The imperfect landing sent a sharp twinge through my ankle, but it was not enough to keep me from running. I sprinted toward the alley where the boy had vanished.