Approaching
Two days later, in the morning, at the Knights' training ground.
Though my injuries hadn't fully healed, they had recovered to the point where moving my body wasn't much of an issue. I rolled my wrists and shoulders, warming up.
"I told you not to overexert yourself while you're still injured." Grand Duke Quenor sighed, gripping his sword with one hand.
It was a blunted training sword. I had asked him to spar with real blades, but the Grand Duke had flatly refused, insisting he wouldn't spar at all if we used live steel. Left with no choice, I had switched to a blunted weapon. I, too, had set aside the Holy Sword and now stood facing the Grand Duke with a training sword in hand.
"There is no guarantee you will gain anything from this. Nor is there any guarantee I can teach you anything."
"We don't have much time. And I need something more." I took a deep breath as I spoke.
The Grand Duke nodded heavily, acknowledging my words.
"Come at me first, then. Since I've agreed to spar with you, I won't go easy on you."
With those words, the Grand Duke's aura shifted. It was the combat stance he usually assumed when fighting monsters. Just that shift in his presence conjured a light breeze that swept through my hair. When he was an ally, nothing felt more reassuring, but facing him as an opponent felt like having a blade pressed directly against my bare skin. It was an aura that made you feel as if you could be cut down or sliced to pieces at any given second.
"I will do my best to match you. Within the limits of keeping you from getting hurt, of course."
I didn't reply. Instead, I immediately lunged forward. Not a slash, but a thrust—the fastest and most direct path. Yet, the Grand Duke's response was swift, his eyes tracking the tip of my blade with absolute precision.
Screeech!
The flat of his blade scraped against mine, producing a harsh, metallic shriek. He then used the pommel of his hilt to push my blade aside, executing a closing slash. Using the force of his deflection as momentum, I leaped backward to evade the strike. Landing in midair and regaining my balance was second nature to me.
"It didn't end with the first blow," the Grand Duke muttered, looking at me.
"I suppose you intended to end it with the first blow."
"I did not mean to underestimate you. It is simply a testament to your skill. But for the next strike, and the one after that, I will swing with the intent of taking you down in a single blow."
The Grand Duke closed the distance in an instant. I swung my sword to meet his incoming strike. The shockwave that traveled up the blade made me question whether this was truly a sword swung by a human being. But I couldn't let go of my weapon. I couldn't let my stance break. If I only defended, I would be shattered first. If I switched to the offensive, I would be swallowed whole.
"Ugh!"
I adopted a purely defensive stance, absorbing the impact of his blows. Unable to look for an opening or fight back with equal force, I struggled just to keep up with his sword. Before long, I was thrown to the ground, and the tip of the Grand Duke's sword was pointed at my throat.
"...May I try again?"
At my words, the Grand Duke silently withdrew his sword. I stood back up, and our blades clashed once more. During our second bout, I managed to hold out longer. The same went for the third. But starting from the fourth spar, the time it took for the Grand Duke to defeat me began to shrink.
I couldn't adapt to his swordsmanship, but he was steadily adapting to mine. The trajectories I could conceive were limited, and the Grand Duke countered those limited paths with an infinite variety of forms.
Thud.
After I was knocked to the ground for the tenth time, the Grand Duke drove his training sword into the dirt and took a short breath. Covered in dust, I staggered back to my feet.
Damn it. I thought that if we kept clashing, I would eventually figure out a way to counter his sword, but this old man's swordsmanship is on an entirely different level.
The Grand Duke stared at me quietly before speaking. "There is something I wish to ask. May I?"
Panting heavily, I nodded.
"What is it that drives you to fight so hard?"
Uncharacteristically, there was a trace of hesitation in his voice as he asked for my reasons.
I let my sword hang low and frowned. "...There is no reason. Nor do I particularly care to find one."
To survive, I must act like a hero? Perhaps that was true. At least, that might have been what I thought before I arrived here. I smiled bitterly and raised my sword once more.
Just a week ago, a warm summer breeze had been blowing, but now, the chilly wind of the battlefield swept through. If one climbed the castle walls and looked into the distance, even from Evernode, the dark, overcast clouds of the Boundary Line were visible.
"At the very least, it is not a loss for Evernode, is it?" I spoke in a roundabout way, telling him not to overthink it.
Grand Duke Quenor crossed his arms and stared at me in silence. "If you requested a spar because you wished to grow stronger, isn't there a better way?"
Just as he said, sparring was merely an alternative. The best way would have been to simply ask him to teach me swordsmanship, but even for someone like me, I would surely be rejected—
"I would rather teach you myself. Though I feel I have made this decision a bit too late, it will at least make you far stronger than you are now."
My eyes widened in sheer surprise. On the other hand, Grand Duke Quenor merely shrugged as if it were nothing.
"Perhaps it will serve as the final key to help you fully grasp the enlightenment you have been searching for. Your sword looks like that of someone desperately searching for something."
Wait, how did this old man know I was looking for something like that? As I stared at him in a mix of bewilderment and shock, the Grand Duke burst into a hearty laugh and vigorously drew his sword.
"If you wish to refuse, you may. I am not forcing you."
Refuse? No way! Even the original protagonist wouldn't turn this down. I shook my head rapidly and spoke. While the Holy Sword's guidance was excellent, receiving direct instruction while clashing blades would undoubtedly yield far greater results.
"No. Please, I would be honored."
"I thought so."
Grand Duke Quenor strode over to me, suddenly poking my flank with his training sword to correct my posture. Letting out an undignified grunt, I raised my sword and assumed a starting stance.
"Now, let us begin. I should have done this from the start. Especially since you are still injured." Grand Duke Quenor smirked as he looked at me.
Damn it. I think I made a terrible mistake.
"Hold your sword straight. I shall point out every single flaw I noticed while sparring with you, one by one."
I swallowed hard, looking at the Grand Duke with fearful eyes. Indeed, one must always be careful what they wish for.
"Replenish the arrows here!"
"Be glad we're fighting in the summer, you lot! None of you have ever been through an invasion, have you?"
The castle walls were a hive of activity. Atop the grand outer walls that Evernode took pride in, soldiers moved busily to prepare for the impending invasion.
While no one knew exactly when the monsters would pour in, the veteran knights and soldiers could feel that war was imminent from the dropping temperature.
"We don't know when those bastards will swarm us. Keep your eyes peeled!"
Every few years, at irregular intervals, the monsters would batter Evernode's walls. Those who had survived those encounters knew that this invasion would unfold in an entirely different manner than the previous ones. Perhaps only the Great Invasion of ten years ago could compare. The knights remained tense, never taking their eyes off the Boundary Line for even a second.
The mages were incredibly busy, researching spells to rain down upon the monsters. Daphne, who had spent two sleepless nights guiding the mages, ran into Georg as he was rushing along the castle walls, dark circles under her eyes.
"How is the situation?"
"The sky is growing darker. The Boundary Line has drawn incredibly close. The forest where the scouts used to patrol is already shrouded in a thick veil, completely out of sight. The war will begin today, or tomorrow at the latest."
Daphne grimaced and nodded. It would have been wonderful if Elroy were with them, but the Grand Duke's orders were absolute: he was not to show his face on the walls until he had fully recovered from his injuries. She, too, preferred that Elroy return in perfect health rather than wander around precariously with a wounded body.
"Has Marianne returned?"
"Yes. I heard she's been on standby since yesterday. Once Elroy returns, the four of us will move together. If the war begins before Elroy is fully recovered—"
Rumble.
"...We will have to fight at our designated posts while we wait for him."
Soldiers and knights alike began to run across the walls. The ground was shaking. Unlike the vibrations caused by a giant's movement, this was the tremor of thousands, tens of thousands of monsters charging all at once. Daphne swallowed hard and turned her gaze past the battlements.
"The monsters are coming!!"
"Everyone, to your positions! Do not panic! Act according to your training!"
Along with Grand Duke Quenor's fierce voice rallying the soldiers, the troops of Evernode readied their spears and swords. Georg frowned and looked at Daphne.
"I will head to my post. You should join up with the mages."
Georg unslung the shield from his back and sprinted off like mad. Daphne stared at the sight unfolding beyond the walls and gasped.
The trees were shaking. No, they were falling, one by one. Advancing through the collapsing forest was a tidal wave of monsters. Massive beasts, like the grey bears, led the charge, with relatively smaller monsters following close behind.
"Get everyone below the walls up here! Mages, prepare to fire!"
Across the battlements, the light of mages preparing their spells flickered and flashed. Daphne also drew upon her mana, channeling a spell to sweep the monsters away. The moment the vanguard of the horde burst from the forest, Grand Duke Quenor roared.
"Fire!"
Thwip-thwip-thwip!
Spells and arrows rained down. The monsters at the front collapsed, only to be trampled by the horde rushing from behind. Flesh and blood erupted from their crushed bodies, splattering everywhere. Far from slowing down, their advance only accelerated as more and more monsters poured out of the forest.
"They are about to reach the walls!"
"Prepare to repel them! Knights, deal with any that try to scale the walls! Mages, keep striking their main force!"
The Grand Duke drew his sword. "They will try to breach this place right from the start. Do not let a single one of them cross these walls!"
""Yes, Your Grace!!""
The monsters slammed against the walls. The bloated, massive beasts rammed themselves against the base of the stone structure first. They formed a foundation like stepping stones, and other monsters scrambled over them. The monsters had no regard for their own lives. Atop the wall of giant beasts, more monsters climbed, and on top of those, even more piled up. A tower of flesh began to rise against the castle wall. When a barrage of spells and stones killed the monsters, their corpses simply became the next foothold.
"Use fire magic!! Don't let them pile onto the corpses!"
Fire erupted over the pile of monster carcasses. The wall of corpses collapsed, forming a barrier of flames. The monsters scaling the wall fell back down or were burned to death, screaming in agony. But still—
Scritch, scratch.
There were those that stubbornly clung to the stone, clawing their way up.
Grand Duke Quenor stood at the edge of the wall, looking down at the climbing monsters. Intimidated by his noble aura and overwhelming presence, the monsters let out low, fearful growls.
"You beasts shall not set foot upon this land."
The Grand Duke's sword erupted with Aura. Instantly, dozens of monsters crawling up the wall were sliced to pieces.
The Grand Duke was unstoppable. He literally 'walked' back and forth along the battlements, swinging his sword to clear out the monsters. Drawn to his Aura, the beasts lunged at him, only to be reduced to chunks of meat and spraying blood with a single flick of his wrist. The other knights and soldiers of Evernode also drew their weapons, skillfully hacking down the monsters and throwing them off the walls. The falling beasts plunged straight into the fiery pits below.
"You are late."
The Grand Duke calmly turned his head to look at a knight who had just climbed up onto the wall. Elroy frowned as he watched the forces of Evernode slaughtering the monsters with practiced ease. Looking at that scowling, arrogant face, Grand Duke Quenor burst into a hearty laugh. Elroy sighed, surveying the battlefield with a disgruntled expression.
"...I ran all the way here, but if you're going to handle it like this, there's nothing left for me to do."