Chapter 51
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: The Knight Enveloped in Blue Light (5)
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"This is no joke."
Shuren let out a deep sigh.
His words weren't just referring to the mountain of magical beast corpses piled up before us.
Most of the Gatras' bodies had been charred pitch-black, but embers still flickered here and there with soft crackling sounds.
The acrid stench rising from the corpses wafted on the wind, spreading across the plains.
The Silver Guard Knight had left Shuren and me standing here, telling us to wait a moment before departing.
On the outskirts of the campsite. The surroundings were dark and quiet.
Far off in the center of the campsite, the blue crystalline pillar that had sprouted there glimmered visibly even from here.
I sat perched on a stack of firewood, gazing up at the faintly glowing barrier around the campsite's perimeter.
"I had no idea things were this bad between Father and the Silver Guard Knight..."
"Really? I knew."
I blinked and turned to Shuren.
He sighed again, pressing down on the pile of ashes with his foot.
"He was practically a legend at the Knight Academy. Well... you probably never heard about it since it's your father's story.
The Blue Guard Knight and the Silver Guard Knight were classmates at the academy. Your father held the top spot throughout, but he never once beat the Silver Guard Knight in sword spars.
Even so, they were close friends and hung out together often, or so the stories go."
"They were close?"
I couldn't believe it.
Shuren shrugged, saying it was just what he'd heard.
"But around graduation time, when they were getting their knighthoods and assignments...
They dueled with real swords, lives on the line, in the academy's training grounds. After that, they wouldn't even look at each other."
"Who won?"
"Opinions are split. The witnesses all had different takes. Dueling with live blades inside the academy is taboo, so both got disciplined. But the real legend is this part."
Shuren suddenly spun around into a stance.
He twisted his body sideways, extending one hand forward while pulling the other back. It was one of the basic forms of Cernian court swordsmanship.
His face lit up with excitement as he spoke quickly.
"The Blue Guard Knight is a master of Cernian court swordsmanship, and the Silver Guard Knight is the Loran of the serpent, wielder of mysterious techniques.
Every time their swords clashed, blue light flashed, and the blades wailed.
The ferocity was so intense no one could approach, the first-floor windows of nearby buildings shattered, and the training ground floor was pulverized to dust..."
"...Bro? That's going a bit too far."
I couldn't help but interject as the tale escalated.
Shuren chuckled.
"What can I say? It's that legendary."
"What's so legendary about it?"
Shuren let out a bizarre squeak at the Silver Guard Knight's sudden voice and snapped to attention.
"Enough chit-chat. We're heading out before it gets any later."
At the Silver Guard Knight's command, Shuren straightened up with a crisp "Yes, sir."
The two who arrived with the Silver Guard Knight were Belpons and Regnit, both from the Silver Moon Knight Order like Shuren.
Belpons was a burly dog Loran, and Regnit was a tall Denan with red hair.
I gave them a light nod in greeting.
They were one or two years Shuren's senior and had transferred from the White Guard to the Silver Moon Knight Order this time.
Most knights in the Silver Moon Knight Order were like that—veterans from other orders.
Fresh rookies like Shuren were rare.
"Take one each."
The Silver Guard Knight handed out lamps to everyone.
They were small, but once lit, they brightened the surroundings considerably.
After the five flames formed a circle of light, the Silver Guard Knight asked me,
"Where's Ashe?"
"Nearby. Should I call him?"
"Yes. He'll be useful for the patrol."
No sooner had he spoken than Ashe poked his head into the ring of light.
Belpons and Regnit gasped and instinctively gripped their sword hilts.
"It's okay, he's my friend."
I waved my hands hurriedly. Belpons eyed Ashe closely before nodding.
"Ah, the wolf from earlier. The one that dragged off a Gatra."
Looks like Ashe had already said hello.
Ashe casually slipped between the knights and came to my side.
I stroked his forehead. His soft mane and fur shimmered silver as it puffed up.
"Ashe, we're patrolling the campsite perimeter. Can you help?"
'No problem.'
Ashe replied simply, turned, and vanished back into the darkness.
No matter how I thought about it, his eyes were different from when we were in Prion. He clearly loved roaming the woods.
"Let's go."
The patrol of the campsite outskirts began with the Silver Guard Knight leading.
Shuren and I followed a few steps behind, while Belpons and Regnit trailed at a greater distance.
Crossing a path and climbing a hill, the trees grew tall enough to block our view, and the darkness thickened.
Even with the lamps illuminating around us, the shadows of trees and underbrush kept everything dimly shrouded.
The Silver Guard Knight ahead slashed away obstructing branches and leaves, while Shuren and I chased the darkness with our light from behind.
"That's where the caravan was attacked."
Shuren raised his lamp and pointed left.
The narrow forest path and its surroundings looked like a storm had ravaged them.
Low trees and bushes were trampled and snapped, with debris like wheel fragments and shattered crates scattered about.
Any usable items had already been moved to the campsite, and the wounded rescued, but traces of the raid lingered.
The night air in the forest was chilly, with no birdsong or insect chirps to be heard.
The Silver Guard Knight set his lamp on a broken stump and scanned the surroundings with sharp eyes.
"I hear something."
'I hear it too.'
The Silver Guard Knight and Ashe spoke at the same time.
I looked up in surprise, and he turned to me.
"No, Ashe just said the same thing."
"Gatra remnants are still nearby. Stay alert."
With that, the Silver Guard Knight picked up his lamp and pressed on.
The knights, including Shuren, tensed up, hands on their sword hilts.
I kept watch around us while following the Silver Guard Knight.
What sound?
No matter how hard I strained my ears, I heard nothing suspicious—just the occasional rustle of wind through branches.
Ashe moved low through the forest a bit farther out.
I could sense his presence clearly, without relying on ears or eyes.
Mindful of Ashe's position, I gripped my staff in my right hand.
"Liberic, if combat breaks out, fall back."
The Silver Guard Knight said without looking back.
Hearing that, my tense shoulders slumped.
"I'm fine, Silver Guard Knight. I appreciate the concern, but I can fight too."
Despite myself, some frustration crept into my voice.
If I had to hang back when beasts appeared, why bring me all the way here? Even clashing with Father over it, insisting he needed my help.
'Incoming.'
Kieek!
Ashe's voice was followed by the shrill Gatra cries tearing through the forest air.
And not just one or two.
From front and back, all sides, the cries echoed like a conversation.
"Don't scatter."
The Silver Guard Knight, sword already drawn, commanded curtly.
He slashed at the black shapes surging from the underbrush without even looking.
The next instant, a Gatra's elongated head rolled into our circle of light. It died without a scream.
Shuren grabbed my arm and pulled me close. Belpons and Regnit, who'd been a bit apart, pressed in behind us.
"Whoa, these feel different from the ones we took down earlier."
Shuren said as he swung his sword.
Tension made his shoulders stiff, causing his strikes to miss.
The Gatras lunged from the darkness, targeting us.
Red eyes blinking, they closed in fast, baring savage fangs within the lamplight.
The flustered knights only swung late, after spotting them.
"They're the same."
The Silver Guard Knight missed not a single Gatra entering his range.
His blade glowed bluish, tracing swift arcs through the dark. Black blood always sprayed, and Gatra bodies thudded to the ground.
"Don't rely on sight—use your other senses. Panic breeds wasted motion."
Only after the Silver Guard Knight's advice did Shuren steady his breath. His next strike was much improved.
The knights held a circle around the lights, felling the Gatras charging from all directions one by one.
'Liberic.'
Ashe appeared from between trees, silver fur puffed, clamping a Gatra's slender neck.
Kieeeek!
Ashe snapped the screaming Gatra's neck and flung it into the underbrush.
"Ashe, are there a lot of Gatras?"
'No. Just a few left. Stragglers from the pack.'
"Then, that's a relief..."
"Ugh!"
Belpons's short cry came with one lamp's light vanishing in a whoosh—the Gatra clash had knocked it flying.
Regnit caught the staggering Belpons. Shuren jumped in front, slashing the approaching Gatra.
Ashe crouched low and darted between the knights.
He filled Shuren's gap, shoving back a Gatra leaping overhead.
In that moment when our circle of light warped, I felt murderous eyes approaching from behind.
I couldn't hold back any longer.
Gripping my staff tight in my right hand, I drew in mana with a short breath.
Thrusting my left hand into the darkness, a Gatra froze right before me, hideous fangs bared.
A split-second later, and my arm would've been gone.
Papapak!
Bluish crystals erupted from the ground like razor blades, piercing the Gatra's body.
The vivid sensation made my fingertips tremble.
The feel of blade slicing through blood, flesh, and muscle—as if I held the knife myself.
The Gatra didn't even scream, but I felt its throat gasp around the sharp crystals.
I inhaled sharply and released the spell.
As the blue crystals vanished, the Gatra's mangled, hole-riddled corpse scattered across the ground.
Altered only in color and activation by kingdom control formulas, its power hadn't diminished much.
'Liberic, you okay?'
Ashe returned to my side.
I nodded. My heart pounded with a familiar exhilaration.
Gripping my staff again, I pulled in mana and pierced another approaching Gatra's torso with crystals.
Magic suited to my aptitude manifested swiftly at my will.
If only this gruesome sensation of destruction became familiar...
"Liberic, that's enough. Fall back."
The Silver Guard Knight blocked my front, cleaving a Gatra lunging from the dark.
I gritted my teeth and drew in more mana.
"I'm fine. I can do this."
"You're misunderstanding. What I mean is..."
The Silver Guard Knight's words shattered white.
My vision flashed, and a massive shockwave slammed into us.
Kurung... boom!
Roars like the sky tearing apart echoed in succession. Streaks of blinding lightning slashed across the dark night sky, crashing to the ground.
That sight was the last thing I saw before the impact hurled my body, and consciousness faded.