Chapter 14
Chapter 14
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: Reckless Valor
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Aura.
The powerful, razor-sharp force that only the chosen could wield.
Even a mere graze from it would tear flesh and spill blood, making it an object of terror for ordinary soldiers.
And that irresistible dread arrived once more, at a completely unexpected moment.
A barbarian wielding Aura? The fighting spirit boiling among the people vanished in an instant.
"- - - - - - -!!!"
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
The beast let out a massive roar toward the empty sky before charging at the shield wall with terrifying speed.
The militiaman who became its target instinctively raised his shield to survive.
Kwachik!
But that effort was in vain. The militiaman was crushed exactly in half and died.
The immense strength combined with destructive Aura had created this horrific scene.
"U, uwaaaah - - -!"
"Run! R, run away!"
Intestines spilled out like butchered meat from the split torso.
The remaining militiamen, seeing their comrade who had fought bravely just moments ago turn into a lump of flesh in an instant, fell into panic.
"M, maintain formation! Don't fall back!"
The moment the shield wall collapsed, the battle was over.
Knowing this, the Village Chief tried to rally the militiamen scattering in all directions.
But his shout fell on deaf ears as the barbarian seized another victim's head.
"A, aaaah......"
Kwachik!
It crushed the skull with sheer grip strength alone.
Even without Aura, this barbarian warrior was born with inhuman raw power.
Swiik - -!
Puk, puk!
The few archers loosed their arrows.
But they failed to pierce the thick hide and muscle, and the beast smirked with some incomprehensible mutter.
It was mockery toward its prey.
From that sneer onward, the shield wall centered around the villagers completely disintegrated.
In the end, some of the militiamen who couldn't hold out began fleeing in all directions.
"M, mommy!"
"Waaaaaah!"
With the shield wall gone, the villagers cowering behind it were fully exposed.
Unable to fight back or flee, they closed their eyes along with their children.
The beast, baring its yellowed teeth in a grin, strode toward the villagers.
"You bastard!!"
But the Village Chief appeared, gripping a two-handed axe, and hurriedly blocked its path.
Even if his incompetence had led to this disaster, he could never allow the villagers to die right before his eyes.
Roaring fiercely, the Village Chief swung his two-handed axe down with all his might.
"Uwaaaaaah - -!"
Kang!
But the Aura-clad beast deflected the axe as if swatting a fly.
And without stopping there, it kicked the stunned Village Chief squarely.
Thud!
"Guh!"
A single kick.
That one kick from the beast sent the Village Chief flying into the midst of the villagers and crashing down.
Red blood erupted from his mouth, his limbs going limp and unresponsive.
The Village Chief looked around the village, now turned into a hell of flames, his beard soaked in blood.
"Cough, cough!"
Where had it all gone wrong?
Past mistakes became regrets, and the lingering remorse from inaction turned to resentment.
But he was too old and weary to turn it all back.
"......Run away."
The barbarian warrior approached.
The Village Chief extended his trembling hand toward it, uttering his final words to flee.
Today, his heavy eyelids began to close slowly, as if heralding his last moments.
Step, step, step.
But those eyes did not fully close.
Because, through his blurring vision, a small figure stepped forward.
Her legs shook pathetically, the tip of her sword trembling like an aspen leaf.
Yet Snow-Covered, blocking the barbarian warrior's path, looked just like the brave David facing Goliath.
"Uoea?"
The barbarian warrior couldn't comprehend it.
With everyone fleeing, how dare a mere child stand in its way?
The savage beast couldn't grasp the noble courage Snow-Covered possessed.
It raised its Aura-coated club.
"No!"
"Miss!"
Two rookies rushed forward desperately.
The people screamed shrilly, averting their eyes from the sight of her meeting her end like the others.
'R, recall it.'
Instinct smelled death.
All her greater purpose, the chance to change the world, was about to vanish completely.
But even in this dire moment, Snow-Covered struggled to recall one memory.
'Master.'
How should she move? How could she block that overwhelming Aura?
The sword dance swirling in her mind like a full moon offered only one answer.
'One point.'
She couldn't dodge or block it.
Then it was time to move her sword.
Snow-Covered glared at the Aura and blade hurtling fiercely toward her, her eyes wide open.
A faint, formless shape appeared.
The sole path to shatter the crisis.
But no matter how she focused on that point or gritted her teeth, it was still too small and hazy.
If only she had trained one more year—no, two more years—could she have severed it?
Snow-Covered regretted it, but her thrust held no hesitation.
If today was the day she must die,
she would die as a person without shame.
Ssssh, chang!
"Ah......"
Strangely, there was no pain.
Because the beast's ferocious attack had futilely buried itself in the ground instead of her body.
But instead of a sigh of relief, Snow-Covered cried out from deep within.
Her waist felt light.
Her master's sword had been drawn.
And the one who drew it had precisely struck the distant "one point" she thought unreachable, effortlessly brushing aside the sharp Aura.
As if time itself had frozen, the world stood still, and faint dawn began to break in the distance.
Having finally found his disciple, Broken Sword turned to Snow-Covered and said,
"Reckless."
"......Master."
Broken Sword set Snow-Covered down.
He lightly shook off the sword that had blocked the Aura, and the blade resonated with the heavy air.
The falling snow trembled faintly.
Strangely, that resonance carried a power that swept away the fear accumulated in the people.
Snow-Covered lost consciousness, her gaze lingering on her master's back as it gradually dissolved into light.
Our paths had crossed.
No, calling it a crossing was my own stubbornness and carelessness.
I should have prioritized rescuing my companions, whether it meant opening the village gate or preventing the massacre of the villagers.
Instead, I chased late traces and failed in my crucial role as protector.
There, in the distance, was Snow-Covered.
The child was upholding her pride and protecting others, just as she had first stirred my heart.
I thanked the gods for letting me arrive in time, then shook off the sword my disciple had kept safe.
"You did well. Rest now."
The long dawn passed, and the sun rose.
The fires ravaging the village began to die down, and the screams grew faint.
All that remained was the barbarian warrior dripping filthy Aura like sludge.
I said to it,
"You nearly ruined everything."
I had acknowledged Snow-Covered as a candidate.
The potential and selflessness she showed held ample value for growth.
But deep down, I had largely given up on her talent for swordsmanship.
Based solely on her training, she was no more than an ordinary mortal.
But I was wrong.
The sword she displayed before Aura was thrillingly sharp, yet I judged the child based merely on training.
What, then, did today signify?
After the darkness of yesterday, the moment to usher in a new era had arrived.
Though my body was weary and the village lay in ruins, the Northern Mother rejoiced.
Everyone except one, that is.
"I'll skin you and make a drum out of your hide."
The worst curse I knew from the North.
Not just crude and unpleasant, but a punishment fully feasible.
And as if understanding the words, the beast shuddered and growled.
"Oiu......, Ora!"
Whoosh - - -!
The beast instinctively knew I was the greatest threat.
But true to its brutish nature, it charged at me, dripping Aura recklessly.
Chang!
Weight alone, no sharpness.
It was inferior in skill and ferocity even to the orc sergeant I defeated at the camp.
I easily deflected the rust-like dripping Aura and spun the sword in my grip.
Srrrring.
Sslash!
"Kaaaaaaaagh - - -!"
A comprehensible scream burst from the beast's mouth for the first time.
At the same moment, the severed fingers flew through the air, and the massive club clattered to the ground.
The beast clutched its mangled right hand and wailed, but nothing changed.
I spun my body once and struck the armpit unprotected by its leather armor.
Puk!
Kaduduk!
Piercing flesh, twisting bone.
Like butchering livestock, I gripped the hilt with both hands and wrenched the blade.
The beast collapsed to one knee without even a scream.
Thud!
Innate Aura was this fleeting.
No matter how strong the weapon, if the hand wielding it belonged to an unskilled warrior, it meant nothing.
Of course, the barbarian warrior, ignorant of this truth, glared at me while blood streamed down.
Sslash!
But I severed its neck without hesitation.
The contorted face rolled across the ground, and the dawn peeking over the horizon fully rose.
The flames and screams died down,
and as the villagers sighed in relief,
an oblivious morning arrived.
Lifting my head to survey my surroundings, every soul bore witness to the birth of hope.
"......Why didn't you tell us sooner?"
The Village Chief, struck by the beast's kick, had barely survived thanks to swift aid.
Of course, the aftereffects meant he could never wield an axe again, but his face looked strangely relieved.
The noble honor of protecting the villagers to the end had brought him peace.
True to a veteran of the Northern Army led by the Knight King.
I smiled at the Village Chief and replied,
"Tell you what?"
"Who else but Broken Sword could defeat Aura with a sword lacking Aura?"
I had guessed he was a retired soldier, but I never imagined he was someone who shared the same battlefield.
I was glad and surprised that he remembered my sword, even if he'd forgotten my face.
But my answer to his question was the same as the one I'd given Snow-Covered.
"Yesterday, you were the Village Chief, and I was the one seeking aid. That's your answer."
"......How humble."
"Of course, now we're old comrades."
Hahahaha!
The Village Chief laughed heartily.
And I, moved by his laughter, quietly smiled back.
If last night we were allies bound by mutual benefit, today we were Northerners who had shed the same blood and greeted the same dawn.
A bond not easily shared now let us see each other in a new light.
His hearty laughter ceased.
"That child is your disciple, then."
"......She'll make a fine king."
Yes, a new Knight King.
Murmuring softly, the Village Chief rose from his seat with a pained groan.
Forgetting for a moment the years and mistakes past, he extended his wrinkled hand to me.
"If it's Broken Sword, I can entrust them to you. Take good care of the villagers."
I took his hand.
Though we met again as a master raising a disciple and an elder preparing for death, today felt like the days we rampaged across battlefields.
The Village Chief shook off the despair that had clogged his chest all this time.
I embraced hope for the future.
As if by promise, we spoke in unison.
"For Mother North."
"......For Mother North."