Evernode (5)
The troll's massive body collapsed with a heavy rumble, like a cracked boulder crumbling to pieces.
I leaped down from the troll's head, which had been split cleanly in two, and casually wiped the blood from my face. If it had been winter, I would have grabbed a handful of snow to scrub it off, but there was nothing here but moss.
"Whew."
I tried, sure, but did I actually make any real progress?
Right. My technique wasn't going to miraculously improve in just a day or two—not unless I experienced some grand epiphany. As the Holy Sword said, if I kept holding onto my blade and studying it, the results would eventually show.
But it had to be perfected before the war with the Giants broke out, and there was no telling when that would be... It was only natural that a creeping sense of anxiety was beginning to settle in.
The Holy Sword's occasional words of comfort brought an uncanny sense of peace to my mind. It was just a simple sentence, yet it worked wonders. Marveling at the effect, I sheathed the Holy Sword.
"...You brought it down."
Turning toward the voice, I saw Grand Duke Quenor standing behind me. He was staring at the troll's corpse with an expression I had never seen on him before. Looking into his cool, piercing blue eyes, he seemed lost in deep thought.
"It wasn't too difficult."
"Indeed. It certainly looked that way. I expected you to struggle at least a little, but you've made a fool of my assumptions. Your movements were highly practiced."
The Grand Duke looked at me, then cast a brief glance toward the Holy Sword hanging at my left hip.
"Is your inability to use Aura because of the Holy Sword?"
"Yes. But I don't find it inconvenient."
The Grand Duke furrowed his brow and stared at me for a long moment. I appreciate the re-evaluation, but standing here awkwardly under his intense gaze is a bit much.
"Defeating a troll without using Aura is something most ordinary knights couldn't dream of. Especially for those with little to no experience fighting them. Well done."
I shook my head. With my knowledge of the original novel and the Holy Sword's guidance, I didn't want to be praised just for smoothly taking down a single troll.
"No. I still have a long way to go."
"Too much modesty is not a virtue, Hero."
One of the Evernode knights casually chimed into my conversation with Grand Duke Quenor. It's not modesty, I'm being dead serious. By the way, since when did these people become so chatty?
"The Grand Duke is not stingy with his praise, but he never speaks empty words."
Honestly, it felt like they were holding a sword to my throat, demanding that I be happy about the compliment. Well, the knight wasn't being hostile; in fact, his attitude showed a subtle sign of respect, so I didn't mind.
"That is enough, Sir Reese. I believe I ordered you to keep chatter to a minimum during patrols."
"Weren't you doing the exact same thing just a moment ago, Your Grace?"
"As the patrol leader, I was merely checking on the condition of a patrol member. That is hardly chatter."
With that, the solemn atmosphere between the two dissolved. This was likely how they usually interacted. I let out a wry smile as I watched Grand Duke Quenor easily banter with his subordinate.
"Elroy, are you hurt anywhere?"
Daphne asked, stepping closer. I chuckled and held up my arms to show her. The troll hadn't even managed to graze me. I'm not the same guy who struggled against that grey bear.
"Not at all. I'm perfectly fine."
"The Hero handled himself beautifully just now. I would have been more surprised if he had been injured."
When Sir Reese spoke to her, Daphne flinched and took a step closer to my side. Since the people who had looked ready to devour us alive were suddenly acting friendly, it was only natural for the timid Daphne to be startled. I let out a hearty laugh as I looked into her wide, purple eyes, which now resembled those of a startled rabbit.
"Startled?"
Daphne gave a small nod and whispered.
"...A little."
Still, this was infinitely better than the suffocating tension from before. I looked back at Grand Duke Quenor and Sir Reese, who had already returned to discussing something with serious expressions.
"Good work, Elroy."
Georg patted my shoulder, looking at me with eyes that had truly changed. Beyond mere surprise, his gaze held a sense of pride and a budding trust. Compared to my first day in this body, the difference was night and day. Letting out a quiet chuckle, I fell into step behind Grand Duke Quenor, who was leading the way.
After clearing out the troll, we mounted our horses and pressed onward. I hadn't noticed it as much during the fight, but as we rode further, the temperature began to plummet rapidly. The patrol was entering the zone of influence of the Boundary Line.
"The weather... it suddenly got so cold."
Daphne said, pulling her cloak tighter around herself. Her cheeks, pressed slightly against her collar, were flushed red from the biting wind.
"It means we're drawing close to the Boundary Line. Monsters will start swarming us from here on out, so stay sharp."
I focused my senses. I could feel multiple gazes watching us from the depths of the forest. Or rather, given that they belonged to monsters, it was more accurate to call it bloodlust.
Just then, Grand Duke Quenor, who had been riding calmly beside the formation, drew his sword and looked at me. Following his lead, the two knights accompanying us drew their blades as well.
"Hero, as you said, we have entered the Boundary Line's domain. The monsters will now try to expel us with greater aggression and ferocity. Some may even be underlings of intelligent beasts."
The Grand Duke's sword let out a fierce, ringing cry as it cleared its scabbard. It looked as though someone had gathered the northern wind, laid it upon an anvil, and forged it into the shape of a blade. It was easily half again as large as a standard sword. The blade was as wide as a man's palm, and its edge gleamed with a chilling, blue light.
"From here on, we shall do our part as well."
With those words, the Grand Duke turned his gaze toward the dark forest I had been watching. A low, ominous howling drifted over on the wind. A faint, shimmering light flickered in Quenor's blue eyes. Even from a distance, I could feel his heart pounding as it drew up a massive amount of mana. The knights also radiated a fierce battle spirit, refusing to be outdone.
Just as my senses picked up the approaching monsters, the knights raised their weapons in unison.
Bark! Bark! Along with the sound of deep baying and snapping twigs, a pack of white wolves appeared, drool dripping from their jaws. There were about fifteen of them. The moment I raised the Holy Sword to strike down the closest beast, the sound of a blade slicing through the air echoed out. And then—
Splat. Six of the charging white wolves were shredded like paper in a grinder, spraying fountains of blood into the air. It was a single strike. My eyes widened to the size of saucers as I stared at Grand Duke Quenor, who had unleashed that overwhelming strike. Before I knew it, the Grand Duke had taken the lead, with the Evernode knights flanking him.
"Only handle the ones that try to scatter. I will take care of the rest."
"We obey your command."
The knights split to the left and right like a bird spreading its wings, moving as a single entity. As I watched the entire sequence in sheer awe, the Holy Sword spoke to me.
The Grand Duke swung his sword effortlessly, slaying the beasts with ease. There was no desperation, no struggle in his movements, yet his blade slipped through the gaps between the white wolves with absolute precision. Though these wolves were undoubtedly far fiercer and stronger than the ones at the edge of the patrol route, they fell by twos and threes with every swing of his sword, making the difference in power feel almost surreal.
It was my first time hearing the Holy Sword offer such high praise. Well, he did perform some absolutely absurd feats in the original novel. I'd be happy if I could achieve even half of his strength without the Holy Sword's assistance.
Yip! The last white wolf collapsed with a final whimper. It felt like it had taken less than three minutes to clear the entire pack. The Grand Duke had slain over ten wolves on his own, while the knights handled the two that tried to slip past. Though not on the Grand Duke's level, the knights were clearly veterans of such battles, dispatching their targets without a hint of struggle.
"Let us keep moving. We are not far now."
Grand Duke Quenor said, looking back at me. I let out a dry laugh as I surveyed the carnage he had left behind.
"I thought you were going to leave all the monster slaying to us."
"Evernode has its pride. We cannot leave all the work to outsiders. If others saw, they would mock us, saying the North has gone soft."
The Grand Duke spoke as he looked down at the scattered wolf carcasses. The knights rode up to his side. Sir Reese wore a faint smirk as he looked at Grand Duke Quenor.
"And here I thought Your Grace was simply provoked by the Hero's performance. Though, we did think it might be fine to let the Hero handle all the subjugation for this expedition."
"I believe I told you to refrain from idle chatter."
Reese chuckled, completely unfazed by the Grand Duke's scolding. The Grand Duke shook his head and turned his horse around.
"Once we reach the lakeshore, we will take a closer look. We might soon be at a point where it is clearly visible from there."
The wind blowing past us began to carry a different sensation. The chaotic gusts that had been buffeting us from all directions within the forest now blew with a distinct direction, striking us head-on. The scattered conifers, which had felt like a disorganized maze, now lined up like trees bordering a single path.
"This is the Eye of the North, the final destination of all patrols."
As we passed the final tree, our field of vision opened up completely. A mirror of blue, so deep that the word 'azure' could hardly describe it, filled our sight. The lakeshore stretched out into the distance, forming a shoreline that seemed to reach toward the horizon.
Yet, I could not simply stand there and admire the lake's pristine beauty. Beyond it—past where the lake reached—a creeping chill that threatened to pierce flesh and bone and freeze my very blood was slowly seeping over.
The sky above that frozen expanse was obscured by heavy, grey snow clouds.
"Normally, we would ride around the lake or take a boat to scout the opposite side, but now that the Boundary Line is drawing closer, even that is impossible."
The Grand Duke spoke as he stared across the lake. His voice was as cold as ice.
"It has become much clearer than the last time I was here."
"Its advance hasn't accelerated, but the fact that it is steadily approaching is the problem. Once winter arrives, the war will begin in earnest."
I furrowed my brow. Come to think of it, in the original novel, when Aryen reached the North, it was already winter, and the defensive war was in full swing. I didn't know at what point Elroy had begun the war against the Calamity, or how he had been defeated. Damn it. When I actually need it, my knowledge of the original story is useless.
"When the Boundary Line reaches the lake, this entire body of water will freeze over. That will be the moment we must truly prepare for war."
We stared at the lake in silence for a long while. I suspected everyone was picturing the approaching footsteps of the Giant in their minds.
On the way back, everyone remained silent. I didn't bother to strike up a conversation. Rather than forcing a lighter mood, it was better to let them dwell on the reality of the approaching Calamity. While I didn't particularly enjoy the heavy atmosphere either, I thought it was a good thing that no one was trying to turn a eye to reality.
"...Is that merely the trace of a Calamity?"
Daphne spoke up. Her cheeks, once flushed from the cold, had returned to their usual pale complexion.
"I felt such a terrifying mana. A massive force that seemed capable of rendering all existence meaningless. To think it radiates such an aura when we haven't even faced it directly..."
Georg, who was riding ahead, looked back and nodded. His face was just as tense.
"It reminds me of when we fought the Kraken. Back then, I had no idea the ocean could become such a terrifying place."
Georg cast a brief glance toward me.
"Elroy, you seem remarkably unfazed."
Unfazed, my foot. I felt like my body was freezing solid from the soles up. It was only because the Holy Sword had told me to snap out of it that I was holding it together. Unable to say that out loud, I simply scowled.
"I'm just focusing all my energy on staying alert. If we lose focus on the way back, there's no telling what kind of accident might happen."
The moment those words left my mouth, the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. A sudden sensation washed over me—the feeling that I had overlooked something.
‘Watch out for the Crawlers. They are as powerful as grey bears, but more cunning than crows and faster than a fleeing rabbit. And they usually stalk their prey in silence before launching a surprise attack.’
The warning I had given earlier flashed through my mind. Faster than a rabbit, more cunning than a crow. When would be the perfect moment for them to strike?
Grand Duke Quenor whipped his head around at the exact same instant I did.
Too slow. No matter how powerful the Grand Duke was, he couldn't intercept Crawlers lunging from three different directions simultaneously. And the target the Crawlers were aiming for was Daphne, the most vulnerable member of our party.
My body reacted before my brain could. Scythe-like forelegs lunged forward. In response, I swept the Holy Sword upward from below.
At that exact moment—
The first stage of the Holy Sword released, and a light like the brilliant trail of a falling meteor enveloped the blade.