Toward the Western Edge
“Ceris…!”
“Hah…!”
The voice calling my name pulled my hazy mind sharply back into focus. Filling my blurred vision was Celion’s face, looking down at me with clear concern.
“C-Celion? Did I fall asleep?”
“You were sleeping like a rock. Making Nightmare take the night watch for you? That’s pretty harsh, don’t you think?”
I sat up in a hurry and looked down at my hands. The sharp claws I remembered were gone. Only blunt, rounded nails remained, as if everything I had seen last night had been nothing more than a dream.
“This is…”
“Have a nightmare or something?”
Had it really been a dream? I frowned and checked the mana within my body. There they were—two thick mana circles coiled tightly around a sphere that glittered like starlight.
Which meant the physical changes I had witnessed last night had not been a dream at all. Thankfully, the pain in my chest was gone.
I touched my cheek and asked Celion,
“Um, Celion? Has anything about me… changed?”
“Changed?”
“Yes—like some part of my body looking weird or something…”
“Hmm… No? Not that I can tell.”
Celion tilted her head at my question. She examined me carefully for a while afterward, then added that she couldn’t see anything particularly different.
“Did you dream about turning into some strange monster?”
“No…”
“Then let’s just eat breakfast.”
“Ah, right.”
Finding nothing amiss, I could only tilt my head in confusion and eat the breakfast Celion had prepared—a warm stew.
After finishing the meal, I was about to climb onto Nightmare’s back so we could set out at once. I pushed off the ground as usual and leapt up—only to freeze in surprise.
“Huh…?”
My body felt lighter than normal. I couldn’t put an exact number to it, but even though the force I used to push off the ground was no different from usual, I rose higher into the air.
Settling onto Nightmare’s back, I frowned and spoke to Celion.
“Um, Celion?”
“What?”
“You’re sure nothing about me has changed, right?”
I asked again just in case, but the answer was the same.
“Nope. You’re exactly the same.”
Yes—exactly the same. At least on the outside.
I flexed my hands this way and that, frowning. The change was happening from within.
As time passed, I felt the changes more and more deeply.
First, my physical abilities had improved dramatically. Second, I could now see the night as clearly as if it were day. And the most troubling of all was the third change.
Night fell once more.
I had volunteered for the first watch, so Celion was already sound asleep.
After confirming she showed no reaction, I slowly began to move my mana. The moment the mana circles spun rapidly and mana surged upward, a clear change took hold.
It started with the canines in my mouth. The small, blunt fangs lengthened into sharp points. Next came both hands. My blunt nails grew long and keen, carrying a dangerous edge.
Just like the scene I had witnessed the night before.
The strength of these newly grown claws was easily on par with any iron sword. When I experimentally scraped a nearby tree, I left clear claw marks across the bark.
“Haa…”
I let out a long sigh and stopped circulating my mana. The sharp claws receded, and my widened field of vision returned to normal.
Improved physical ability meant improved combat ability—that much was clear. But should I really take this change as something positive?
I ran my tongue over the canines still in my mouth and sighed again.
The next morning, once more astride Nightmare and ready to set out, I carefully posed a question to Celion.
“Hey, Celion.”
“Mm?”
“Is it possible for parts of a person’s body to change into something like a monster’s?”
“What? A human’s?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm… Well. As far as I know, I’ve never heard of anything like that.”
“I see…”
“Why the sudden question?”
“Oh, just wondering. The mana here changes the monsters, right? I was thinking maybe it could change humans too.”
“That’s a fair point. But you don’t need to worry. Ordinary humans aren’t as close to mana as monsters are.”
“W-what if they are close to it?”
“Still shouldn’t be a problem. People who are close to mana usually become mages, and I’ve never once heard of a mage turning into a monster.”
I swallowed dryly at Celion’s answer. It seemed I would have to refrain from using mana until the nature of what I had absorbed fully stabilized.
“Shall we head out again today?”
“Ah—yes!”
I had decided to hold back on using mana, but that was easier said than done.
This was Monster Island, where monster attacks could come at any moment. As the name implied, it was the monsters—not humans—who ruled this land.
As Celion and I made our way toward the base camp, we were hit by frequent ambushes. The smaller, weaker ones I could handle without mana, but the large, powerful monsters were another story entirely.
“Ceris!”
Celion’s short warning had barely faded when the densely packed trees shattered all at once and a massive monster burst through.
[Kuoohhh!]
I yanked hard on Nightmare’s reins and studied the creature that had revealed itself.
Its face resembled an owl’s, and its bulk was easily as large as the ogre I had seen before. Unlike an ogre, however, its body was covered in stiff feathers, and it stood on two legs while swinging its wings like arms.
No—those truly were arms. Through repeated evolution, its wings had transformed to serve that purpose.
[Kuoohhh!]
The giant monster flared its feathers and charged at Celion, raking the ground with clawed wing-arms.
Celion had said it was best to avoid fights on Monster Island whenever possible. Yet she must have judged this one unavoidable, because she drew her sword.
The moment the blade cleared its scabbard, she was already swinging it at the massive beast.
The swiftly arcing sword blazed like flame and left a long gash across the monster’s arm.
[Kwaaaah!]
Wounded, the creature thrashed even more violently. I drew Storm Bringer from Nightmare’s side and pulled on the reins.
Understanding my intent, Nightmare charged fearlessly toward the monster that towered over him.
In that instant, another shadow burst from the forest. This one was a little smaller than the first, but identical in appearance.
[Kwaaak!]
It announced its arrival with a tremendous roar and began to rampage. Its owl-like face twisted hideously as it fixed its glare on me.
“Damn it…!”
The situation naturally settled into one-on-one matchups. I lured the newcomer away, putting as much distance as I could between myself and Celion.
Thud—! Thud—! Thud—!
The thoroughly enraged monster charged at full speed. Wing feathers fanned out and scattered in every direction; its massive beak gaped wide, showing me the hideous interior of its maw.
Ordinarily I would have felt intimidated by such a huge monster’s attack. Right now, I felt nothing of the sort.
I leapt down from Nightmare’s back and began circulating my mana. The mana circles spun, and starlight-laden mana raced through my entire body.
The Emblem of the Great Warrior activated, and the physical changes began at once. My vision widened; claws and fangs grew sharp and keen.
Immediately afterward, threads of mana flowing from my body wove themselves into a thin barrier—just as the owl-beast leapt at me.
Boom—!
A leap attack that used its own body weight. The motion carried a clear intent to crush me beneath it.
I did not dodge. For some reason, I felt certain I could take it.
It was not baseless confidence. I trusted the defensive power of the mana barrier I had created, and I trusted the physical strength it had granted me.
Watching the massive bulk plummet toward me, I set my stance. Storm Bringer’s blade was drawn far back until it nearly touched the ground; my left leg stepped forward, and power gathered in my right.
The moment the posture felt perfect, I swung with everything I had.
Whoom—! The heavy blade smashed into the giant owl’s body with a massive impact.
KRAAANG!
It did not feel like flesh and hide parting. It felt more like a heavy club shattering the bones within.
“Hyaaah!”
My battle cry erupted a beat late as the enormous owl’s body was hurled sideways and slammed into the ground. The creature seemed so stunned it could not rise right away.
I frowned and looked at my wrist. A throbbing ache set in, and the skin began to swell red. Apparently something had gone wrong with the bone while I was batting that giant thing aside.
I was about to move in and finish the thrashing monster on the ground when a crimson shadow fluttered down from the sky and drove a sword straight into the giant owl’s head.
Thwack—!
The finishing blow came from Celion. She must have dealt with her own opponent first and rushed over. I immediately released my mana and let out a breath of relief.
Celion twisted the blade that had pierced the creature’s skull this way and that, making certain it was dead.
“Any injuries?”
“Ah—no. Just a little throb in my wrist, otherwise I’m fine.”
When I rubbed my wrist and gave an awkward smile, Celion looked at me with an odd expression.
“That sword… so it really is the weapon you use?”
“Ah, this?”
She was staring at Storm Bringer in my hands. I had thought she had noticed my claws, but that was not it.
I smiled lightly and hung Storm Bringer back at Nightmare’s side.
“Did you think it was just for show?”
“It looked way too big for you to use…”
“It is a little big, yeah.”
I gave a wry smile and stroked Storm Bringer. In that moment I remembered I had never told Celion the story behind this sword. I had been sharing adventure tales with her over meals as thanks for the food, but Valder had shown up and interrupted us midway.
“Oh—have I told you about this sword yet?”
“The sword? What story?”
So my memory had not been wrong after all. I tugged Nightmare’s reins and opened my mouth.
“It’s a bit of a long story. I’d have to start with the time I went to the Holy Kingdom of Oblen…”
“Ah…”
That evening, perhaps because I had used too much mana, another physical change visited my body.
I ran my hands through my hair and made a miserable face. Nestled among the strands, I could feel something small—like a pair of tiny horns.