Chapter 32
The Flower That Bears a Sword - Chapter 32
Translation: godsn
[Is Yurien doing this too? Ah, no. That guy must've participated in this monster subjugation even before rewinding time, so he'd know exactly what happens here! Then you can just rest, right? He'll handle the rescue himself, that big guy.]
The Magic Sword grumbled. Eki chose not to respond, as she wasn't in the mood for contemplation. At least having something to focus on was a relief.
Then, at some point, she sensed an anomaly. Without making a sound, she turned only her head like a beast and stared in that direction. In this pouring rain, everyone except those on guard duty had holed up inside their tents—yet she detected movement leaving one. It wasn't Baraha. Yurien had stepped out.
Since Eki's tent was right next to his, she could see him through the slightly parted entrance flap. Without an umbrella, he walked out wearing only a hooded cloak, letting the rain soak him as he gazed intently toward where Baraha and the vice-captain's tents stood. Then he turned and headed elsewhere.
[What's that about? Where's he going?]
"I told you not to call him 'Yurien' casually."
[Hey, is that really important right now? Anyway, he's heading somewhere weird! What are you gonna do?]
Eki wrestled fiercely with the dilemma for a brief moment. Should she follow Yurien, who was leaving alone without telling anyone in this rain? Or should she keep watching to see if danger befell Baraha?
Time was short, so her deliberation didn't last. She rose, grabbing her sword. Pulling out a smooth-textured cloak as a makeshift raincoat, she flipped it over herself and picked up a deep violet umbrella.
[Following him?]
"Yurien clearly knows something. If he's leaving the tent now, he must have a reason."
[And what if something happens at camp while you're gone?]
"I don't plan to follow too far....Somehow, I doubt he'll go far either."
Mana spiraled through her body from her Mana Core. Eki erased her presence. Though she couldn't compare to professionally trained hunters or assassins, mastering one field often brought competence in related areas. At least she was confident she wouldn't be detected by Yurien.
'Good thing I wore dark colors.'
Concealing herself in the rain, she quietly trailed after him.
His silver hair and white uniform were hidden beneath a dark blue cloak now thoroughly drenched. He slipped past the junior knights on guard duty and left the camp. Yurien moved with unwavering purpose, as if he knew his destination precisely.
The entrance to White Crow Canyon would've been clearly visible from camp on a clear day. He headed straight for it. The closer he got, the thicker the ominous fog became. Yurien disappeared into the mist.
Eki hesitated briefly, glancing back toward camp. The heavy rain left it eerily still. Eventually, she too stepped into the fog.
Yurien didn't venture deep into the canyon. Near the entrance, he approached the curved right wall and began examining the wet rocks and soil. He let his right hand hang limp. A white Holy Sword flowed from his palm into his grip. In the darkness, the sword emitted a faint glow.
[Hey, looks like he's searching for something.]
The Magic Sword muttered in puzzlement. Eki shared the same question.
'He's using mana... But what's he looking for?'
Hidden behind a protruding tree, she quietly observed him past her umbrella. The Holy Sword's soft light illuminated his profile—flawless lines as if drawn, lowered brows casting shadows over his blue eyes.
He pressed his hand against the wall and slowly traced it. His hand grew filthy with wet soil, but he paid no mind. Then his fingers stopped at one spot. After probing it briefly, he withdrew his hand—only to immediately drive the Holy Sword into that point. The white blade pierced the earthen wall as smoothly as slicing tofu. And in that instant—
Kyaaaaaaaaah!
A spine-chilling shriek tore through the sound of rain. A well-timed clap of thunder drowned out half of that piercing cry. Simultaneously with the scream, the wall where the Holy Sword was embedded cracked open, and a mass of thoroughly rotted corpses came tumbling down.
Above those corpses, formless wisps of pale smoke-like entities surged upward. In what could be called their eye sockets, crimson, glowing orbs were embedded like jewels. These mouthless creatures poured forth, shrieking as if someone had set fire to a rat's nest.
'Specters!'
Eki recognized them immediately. Classic ghost-type monsters. Lacking physical form, these wavering smoke-like entities couldn't physically harm anyone. Yet they ranked among the most dangerous of all monsters.
Specters possessed humans. Those possessed by Specters would attack their surroundings like monsters. While Master-level knights could resist them, those incapable of wielding mana were utterly defenseless.
'Now I understand how Senior Baraha might have died in an accident.'
If Specters had swarmed the camp unprepared, many of the junior knights and cadets—excluding the full knights—would have been possessed and run amok. The process of subduing them would have caused numerous casualties. The nightmare of comrades possessed by ghosts running wild during a thunderstorm was beyond imagination. Even a powerful group like the Azure Sky Knights could have suffered massive losses.
And now she understood why Yurien had come here alone. Those who couldn't resist Specters would be more of a burden than help. If asked how he'd detected the Specters' presence beforehand, it would be difficult to explain.
'Among the Giosa Owners, Yurien is the only one who remembers.'
The realization struck her suddenly. If there had been another Giosa Owner who remembered, that person would have come to deal with the Specters too. The fact that only Yurien was here meant he was the sole Giosa Owner who retained his memories.
While inwardly relieved, an unfocused resentment welled up—why did it have to be Yurien, of all people, who remembered? Her stomach churned as she bit her lower lip hard.
[Whoa, that's disgustingly many.]
The Magic Sword muttered with evident distaste. Even she, who had no intention of revealing herself, briefly considered intervening—the sheer number of Specters pouring out was no joke.
Specters flooded through the mist. Emitting eerie cries, they swirled around Yurien, the nearest human. Red eyes glowing with malice drifted through the fog, their movements like predators testing their prey.
Yurien remained perfectly still, gripping the Holy Sword embedded in the wall. His silver hair, soaked dark gray by the rain, dripped steadily. A raindrop that had gathered on his chin swelled before falling with a plop.
The moment that droplet touched the rain-filled puddle, the Specters suddenly lunged at Yurien. His entire form was instantly swallowed by the swarm of translucent shadows. Though semi-transparent individually, hundreds upon hundreds of them layered and clumped together until Yurien became nearly invisible.
[Hey... isn't that dangerous?]
"...No, it's fine."
Eki answered in a whisper, shaking her head slightly. She'd unconsciously gripped her sword when the Specters attacked but now relaxed her hand. There was no need for her to intervene.
Yurien pulled Langiosa from the wall.
White mana flowed along the pale blade. Layer upon layer, until even the sword's shape was obscured by the dense mana. Then, the golden patterns floating around the Holy Sword erupted with blinding light. The mana expanded explosively—and the sword moved.
Kyaaaaaaaaah!
A shriek even sharper than before split the air, carrying the agony of annihilation. White mana sliced outward in all directions like moonlight. Specters were erased without a trace wherever it touched. Even the mist was swept away in the wake of that slash, receding like a tide.
Eki leaned back against a tree, relieved.
"A sword that grows strongest when facing evil."
[That is indeed Langiosa's ability.]
"Both Langiosa... and him."
She smiled faintly. Enveloped in the white mana and the golden light of the Holy Sword, he looked noble. Unlike the black stains clinging to her own palms.
It wouldn't take long for all the specters to be completely annihilated. Eki left without waiting to see the end. She slowly made her way back toward the camp. As the tension faded, fatigue set in. Now she could rest without worry. Neither Baraha nor anyone else would die. Thinking this, she emerged from the mist.
The moment the camp came into view, she felt every hair on her body stand on end. Space was distorting. Like warping glass, or rippling water. A small distortion grew steadily larger. It had formed in the air above the camp and was stretching downward. The camp, shrouded in rain and darkness, belatedly noticed the anomaly and frantically sounded the alarm.
Eki broke into a sprint the moment she saw it. Getting sucked into that would mean certain doom. Not even a Giosa Owner could guarantee safe return. In her past life before regression, Echinacea had willingly stepped into one of those to obtain a Giosa, but even she had nearly died escaping.
'Why is a Node forming here of all places?!'
A Node. A severed segment of space. A space separated from the existing world. The mark left when the Divine Sword Rakia-giosa cuts through space.
Unlike the Divine Sword Kairos-Giosa, which observes time from a fixed point, the Divine Sword Rakia-giosa—forged by the gods using space itself as material—drifts through space as its nature dictates. Not even its true form is properly known. It has never revealed itself in any records. The existence of Rakia-giosa, unseen by anyone, is proven only through Nodes.
Rakia-giosa travels by cleaving space. And those cleaved spaces become Nodes.
No one could know for certain what kind of space lay within a Node or what might be inside until entering. But there were ways to make educated guesses. Since Rakia-giosa didn't create space but rather severed and separated existing space, the environment where a Node formed influenced its contents.
For example, Nodes sometimes formed near children playing in peaceful villages. The interiors of such Nodes tended to be fairytale worlds filled with creatures from children's dreams. Though the sucked-in children would be missing for a while, they always returned unharmed, chattering excitedly about seeing fairies.
But such fortunate circumstances were extremely rare. The world was far drier and stickier than fairytales. Most Nodes were bizarre and dangerous. In this case, with the Node forming near a monster den like White Crow Canyon, the interior was highly likely to be hellish.
'Yurien would never have set up camp here if he'd known. This Node didn't appear in the past. Damn it, why...!'
Eki gritted her teeth and ran. Nodes didn't swell at consistent speeds. While currently expanding at about walking pace, it might suddenly balloon explosively.
Then it would swallow everything within range and separate. No one could predict when it might revert to normal, or whether those swallowed could survive until the Node disappeared.
Beneath the warping space, Blue Sky members frantically grabbed their gear and fled. Eki rapidly took in the fleeing figures.