The Broken Blade
The words he had repeated countless times while eradicating his enemies. Execute in the name of justice.
Born and raised in the Evantium Empire, the man had devoted everything to his nation. One day, after seeing a knight who visited his village, he began to dream. And he possessed more than enough talent to make that dream come true.
Commander of the Evantiana Knights.
The year he turned thirty was when the man rose to that position. Becoming the commander of the Evantiana Knights meant he had reached the realm of Sword Master. He led the order tasked with guarding the empire’s glorious imperial bloodline and personally annihilating enemies in times of crisis—an order hailed as one of the strongest within the empire. The position of Evantiana Knight Commander was an honorable post that young knights aspired to and praised endlessly.
The man lacked for nothing. The commander’s seat was not so destitute that he needed to covet wealth. When it came to honor, there was no better title. And his power went without saying. In the end, he even found a woman he loved. Everything surrounding him was perfect. Or so he believed.
Then one day, he abandoned it all. His fortune, his honor, his power, even the woman he loved. It happened two years ago, one year after he had become commander. That day held great importance even within the imperial family, and the man was deeply entangled in it.
His duty was to guard a member of the imperial bloodline. She was a three-year-old child, and the protagonist of that day’s event. The young princess had to receive her baptism. Not only her, but all imperial descendants underwent the rite at the age of three. Where, and by whom? The answer was simple. It had to be performed at the temple of Justron, the God of Justice, who was the state religion of the Evantium Empire.
The baptism was conducted in absolute secrecy. It was the emperor’s command, so even the priests of Justron could not act rashly. In the end, only the princess, the priest, and the three men guarding the princess participated. The emperor himself did not attend his daughter’s baptism. After all, they were inside the temple of the empire’s greatest religion, protected by its guardians. Therefore, the man felt no great sense of danger.
But the moment the baptism began, his attitude changed.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Inside the silent temple, where only the priest’s voice had been echoing, the sound of a staff striking the ground rang out from somewhere. The priest stopped the baptism midway, prostrated himself flat on the floor, and began praying toward some unknown direction. Then, at some point, his eyes rolled back and he started spewing something out.
It was closer to a mutter, but the instant the man strained his ears to listen to the priest’s voice, goosebumps erupted across his body.
"Kill the child and avert Justron’s downfall."
It was the voice of a god. The voice of Justron, who enforced justice. Though the man had never once heard a god’s voice in his life, he instinctively understood. And in that instant, he grabbed the princess and fled outside.
The man had believed in Justron, the state religion, but his loyalty to the imperial family that had supported him ran deeper. He quickly offered excuses to the personnel outside, then spoke to the princess.
“Never speak of what you heard in that room to anyone.”
The bright and innocent princess simply nodded her head.
Time passed after that. The man kept watch over the princess while observing Justron’s actions. He never reported what the god had said. The imperial family of Evantium was glorious and the emperor was great, yet their religious views were somehow twisted. At the same time, the man mulled over the god’s words again and again.
Why the princess? For what reason? How? Countless questions swirled, but no answers appeared. The only thing that solidified in his heart was the conviction that the youngest princess must not die for such a reason.
Then one day, it happened. Many words were exchanged, but the core was simple. Justron had demanded the youngest princess, and the emperor had accepted. Only the high priest of Justron and the emperor knew exactly what had been said. The man agonized. And then he chose.
The price of that choice had just caught up to him moments ago.
The man’s name was Jonon.
****
“Jonon Est.”
“······.”
“The glorious commander of the Evantiana Knights… Well, not anymore, I suppose. Stripped of your Holy Scar… you’re nothing but a broken blade now.”
“Lessa······.”
A vast forest in the east that was said to have preserved its appearance since the dawn of time. Its size was rumored to rival the Great Forest, the homeland of the elves located in the southwestern part of the Arteria continent. And deep within this forest, where human footsteps were rare, a man lay collapsed.
Before him stood a knight clad in pure white armor. Behind the knight, several others wearing the same white armor lay fallen, yet the knight’s expression remained serene.
The fallen man, Jonon, stared up at the owner of the sword piercing his abdomen with dazed eyes and called out.
“So you… were Justron’s dog too….”
“Dog? I am no dog! I am merely a believer who has received a sacred will. The vice-commander position in the Evantiana Knights… was little more than a side job.”
Lessa Lont. Among the Evantiana Knights that Jonon had cherished, this was the man who had held the vice-commander seat. At the same time, he was the person Jonon had confided in about the princess and the divine oracle.
“The main church has suffered greatly these past two years.”
“······How ridiculous.”
“To think that even after having your Holy Scar taken away, you could still display power on par with a Sword Expert. Everyone lamented what a waste of talent it was. I felt the same.”
“Puh, so that’s why you only sent weaklings after me? To wear me down?”
“Haha, of course not. They were the evil within. Despite being under Justron’s protection, they were fools who hesitated to serve a wretch like Rachel.”
In other words, it was fine if they drained Jonon’s strength and died, or if Jonon killed them and died in the process. Jonon let out a hollow laugh at Lessa’s words. He had once thought the man simply had a gentle personality when they worked together. Now he saw it was closer to madness.
“Then I suppose there are no more rats left. Since you came in person….”
“Hmm······.”
Lessa looked at Jonon with a subtle expression.
“You were heading for Nuru’s Forest, weren’t you?”
“·········.”
“The forest where the now-dead Water Spirit King supposedly stayed for the last time… I believe it isn’t far from here. His Holiness also said that if you were to submerge yourself in the turtle spawn’s energy, tracking you would become difficult.”
“······Hah, so you knew everything.”
“What nation would dare to antagonize Evantium and Justron? They would likely have cooperated with any investigation we requested. You came to Nuru’s Forest, which has nothing to do with Evantium, precisely to avoid that.”
Evantium was mighty. Therefore, few nations could easily oppose it. And Justron held that mighty empire in its grasp. Lessa’s confidence stemmed from that fact.
“Lessa.”
“Speak. His Holiness commanded me to listen to everything you say as much as possible.”
“Do you truly believe that Justron’s oracle represents true justice?”
“·········.”
At Jonon’s question, the smile on Lessa’s face vanished.
Stab!
“Ugh!!”
“How rude. True justice, you say? He is true justice!!”
Looking at Jonon with pitying eyes, Lessa hurriedly tried to staunch the bleeding from the thigh he had just stabbed. Already exhausted from the long battle, Jonon could not stop Lessa’s movements.
“Please watch your words. No matter how much of a former superior you are, isn’t that too disrespectful? I almost used Execution just now.”
“Hah, you sound so confident. You must have trained hard. You couldn’t even use it before….”
“I have already surpassed you from two years ago.”
“······.”
“You reached Sword Expert through nothing but solitary training, without any secret manuals or elixirs from a great house. At the very least, Sword Master… that was the limit of your potential.”
Jonon had been overflowing with talent. But his background had not been enough to fully support that talent.
“And Justron bestowed a Holy Scar upon someone like you.”
“You mean the thing a priest’s lackey forced into my body… ugh!”
“Please mind your tongue. In any case, I have become stronger than you were at your peak.”
Jonon realized his vision was gradually blurring. He had lost far too much blood and was beginning to feel fatigue without even noticing.
“Haa, I pity you more than anyone. Just why! Why did you make such a choice? If you had simply killed that one brat, everyone—including Him—would have been at ease!”
“······Because that is my justice. Get lost.”
“······Haa. Understood. Since I need to learn the princess’s location anyway, I shall disobey His Holiness’s command just this once.”
His tone was almost as if he were doing Jonon a favor. Lessa’s expression and voice were that gentle. But Jonon realized it was not his true heart.
Lessa’s white sword slid back into its sheath.
Definition: Evil deserves death.
Discernment: He knows the location of the Fifth Princess of the Evantium Empire.
Indictment: Evil is an enemy of Justron and one who doubts the faith.
With every strike of the staff, the light radiating from Lessa’s white blade grew stronger.
‘Princess… Your Highness.’
Jonon stared blankly at the light and thought of the princess waiting for him in the cabin.
“Aish! Not princess, Rachel!”
“Y-yes. Rachel… Your Highness.”
“Ugh! Not ‘Highness’ either! Just Rachel!! The other kids’ dads don’t add titles like that!”
“I… will try my best.”
It had been a trivial conversation from some time ago. In a village they had stopped at while fleeing Justron’s eyes on their way to Nuru’s Forest, the princess had thrown a tantrum. She had gotten angry, asking why she had to be called a princess when she was just an ordinary child.
‘I told her to remember so she would be prepared when she eventually reclaims her position…’
Perhaps he had been too stubborn. If he had known it would come to this, he would have done as she wished before. His own carelessness as they drew near Nuru’s Forest had been the biggest mistake.
‘She needs… to take her medicine.’
His eyes caught the powder that had been thrown far away. Then, in Jonon’s mind, his first meeting with the princess surfaced. It had been the day after a brutal battle. His blood-soaked armor was more than enough to instill fear in people.
“Sir Knight!!”
At that moment, the princess had appeared. The three-year-old girl, accompanied by her anxious maids all the way to the castle gate, stood before Jonon. Without a trace of fear, she held out something she had been clutching in her small hand. It was a tiny flower that had grown in a corner of the garden.
Execution:Jonon Est is evil and an enemy. I shall judge him.
With the final strike of the staff, Lessa drew his sword.
“You have worked hard. Once a brilliant and flawless blade, you have rotted and corrupted yourself, becoming a broken one.”
The moment Lessa’s sword swung down, the raindrops trembled. The atmosphere grew unstable and the rainwater turned violent. As Lessa fell into sudden panic at the sight, Jonon lost consciousness.