Kriel had been assigned a small room. The border garrison had long been stationed in an area where there was no real need to worry about attacks. Neither from the Holy Kingdom nor from the Abyss.
The room Kriel was given was proof of this reality. In the past, the border garrison had been twice as large as it was now, but the long peace had naturally led to a reduction in force. The luxurious private quarters, originally intended for officers of command rank, were now empty for that very reason.
“Sometimes those inspectors from the capital come by and use it as their lodging. It’s not a complete waste of money, at least.”
The current commander of the border garrison said this as he departed. He intended to discuss how to handle the wyverns and whether they might attack again tomorrow. For now, it was too late, and it would have been cruel to rob a warrior, who had just fought such an intense battle, of their rest.
Once Kriel confirmed the sound of the commander’s footsteps fading into the distance, he drew the horn sword.
[Wow. I thought I was going to suffocate in there.]
[Can you feel the mercy of master, who usually lets you stay half unsheathed in your scabbard?]
[At first, I thought the ‘horn’ on his hip was some kind of peculiar expression of a strange, secret hobby. But I suppose I’ll have to take that back now….]
“What kind of nonsense are you spouting?”
Kriel was baffled and grabbed the horn blade and gave it a shake. Orishin let out a strange scream.
“So, master.”
Tuon shifted her form. She now appeared as a girl with ash-gray hair, and blue eyes, who was dressed in a gothic-style dress.
“Do you believe what he said?”
“What is there to believe or not believe?”
The border garrison commander’s explanation had been simple. The city’s court mage had left the area, and wyverns had suddenly appeared and blocked all access to the city. The wyverns had been rampant for nearly a week.
Whoever the foolish Abyss creature was that had come down to this city and caused this commotion, Kriel couldn’t understand. But judging the situation itself, it wasn’t all that unusual.
Scheming to conquer cities or even the world was practically a daily routine for the Abyss.
“Don’t you think it’s strange? The timing is too convenient. I can’t help but find the missing court mage suspicious.”
Hmm. Kriel nodded his head. It was a reasonable suspicion. Even Kriel himself thought the wyverns’ attack had been orchestrated with perfect timing.
“But what can we do about it? It’s not like we can just go and drag the wandering mage back right this second.”
Kriel could already guess what the commander would propose in tomorrow’s meeting. The commander would likely suggest sending envoys to nearby cities to request reinforcements while the wyverns were absent. And Kriel himself would undoubtedly be assigned the role of escorting the envoy.
It was, all things considered, a reasonable course of action. Even though Kriel possessed great strength, he was just one knight. Tracking down the force behind the wyverns and eliminating the source would require the aid of a mage or a priest.
“I am a demon sword.”
“And?”
“Gratuon had the ability to devour corpses and absorb their power. And the power it absorbed wasn’t just brute strength; it included essential things like memory and magical power.”
[Too long. Summarize it in three sentences!]
Before the explanation could grow even longer, Orishin cut Tuon off mid-sentence. Tuon intended to shut Orishin up with her usual phrase, “I don’t listen to those weaker than me,” but Kriel’s mouth opened first.
“Hmm. Could you explain it a little more simply?”
This unexpected agreement with Orishin…
Tuon stared at Kriel. She was deeply shocked by her master’s blatant favoritism.
“……?”
Kriel was bewildered as Tuon suddenly turned her gaze toward him, her eyes filled with what seemed like a peculiar sense of resentment. Wait, what did I even do?
“…I have inherited Gratuon’s ability. If you let me cut down the wyverns, I’ll be able to trace the connection back to its source. And with your abilities as a Dark Knight, you’d surely be able to track down the mage controlling the wyverns.”
A concise three-sentence summary. Kriel found Tuon’s proposal quite appealing. He had been bracing himself to spend the next several days helping defend the gate city, but this method offered a way to resolve things much faster than he expected.
[But is this even the right move?]
“What’s the problem now?”
Tuon responded in a sulky tone, while Orishin flitted around the gray-haired girl, making snide remarks.
[Honestly, feeding blood to one of the Seven Demon Swords is far from a good act. I mean, unless that violent saintess is around to manage it, are you sure this is even something you should be doing?]
“I am not Gratuon.”
[Then what are you?]
“I’ve become something greater.”
[Doesn’t that just mean you’ve become more dangerous?]
Kriel was impressed by Orishin’s sharp observation. Not because there was any remarkable insight in the comment itself, but because the usually nonsensical talking head was suddenly making a good point.
“You’re actually capable of thinking, huh!”
[Seriously? I’m just a floating head because of the Abyss, and you don’t think it’s weird for me to be concerned about stuff like this?]
Despite Kriel’s praise, Orishin continued to grumble for a while. However, the conversation eventually circled back to the same topic: Tuon and the act of killing.
[You shouldn’t feed blood to a demon sword. That’s just common sense. Isn’t that why you insisted on using a greatsword to fight the wyverns?]
Tuon turned to look at Kriel again, this time with a shocked expression. But Kriel only directed his questioning gaze toward Orishin.
“That’s actually a thing?”
[The Seven Demon Swords, in terms of rank, go beyond demon weapons. They’re practically closer to full-fledged demons themselves. Of course, they’re a rare case where their power doesn’t entirely match their rank, only because they’ve been exploited for so long.]
What the hell? Was the Head Priestess of the Eve Kaha Church really just glossing over something like this by saying, “It’s fine if you use it well”? Kriel began to suspect that the Head Priestess might not be as infallible as she appeared.
[If you’d used that cross sword instead, those wyverns would’ve practically lined up and begged you to kill them.]
“I had no idea….”
Kriel turned his gaze to Tuon. She puffed out her chest proudly as if declaring, “See how amazing I am!” The shock she’d felt earlier, upon hearing Kriel’s reasoning for not using her, had completely vanished without a trace.
[That’s why, you know, it’s better to avoid using it as much as possible, like you’re doing now. I don’t want to see you walking down the same cursed path I’m stuck on before my own curse is lifted.]
“This is a vile slander! I am loyal to my master. Not that a fickle, unprincipled sword like you would understand.”
[Considering the list of Gratuon’s former masters, isn’t it you who lacks principles?]
“I’ll say it again. I am nothing like Gratuon. I am a far superior sword.”
Kriel, who had been silently watching this unproductive exchange, closed his eyes and recalled the words of the Head Priestess of the Eve Kaha Church. Not in the ambiguous phrasing of “It’s fine if used well” but in clearer, more precise terms.
If Kriel himself did not submit to the Abyss, then the sword too would not submit to the Abyss.
And of course, Kriel had no intention of yielding to the Abyss. Even if the blood-soaked demon sword tried to consume its master, Kriel was confident he could subdue Tuon.
This confidence did not stem from his skill in wielding Tuon, the living sword. Kriel knew better than anyone that skills were not all-powerful.
It was the confidence of a knight who had defeated a demon consumed by Gratuon.
“We’ll proceed with Tuon’s suggestion.”
The gray-haired girl crossed her arms resolutely and cast a confident smile at Orishin. It was the composure of a victor.
Orishin, who felt no sense of rivalry with Tuon as a fellow sword, dismissed her declaration of victory without a second thought. Instead, he directed his question at Kriel.
[Seriously? This looks incredibly risky….]
“There are innocent people suffering. How could I prioritize my own safety in the face of danger to the people?”
An unconscious response, born from practicing lines for the Nobility stat, slipped out of Kriel’s mouth. Orishin stared blankly and his horse face contorted in astonishment before he nodded in understanding.
[Wow. Now I get why that violent saintess acts that way.]
***
“Damn it.”
The mage cursed under his breath. The reason for his outburst was news brought by his conspirator.
A paladin was tracking the traces of the Abyss. It didn’t particularly matter what kind of achievements this paladin had accumulated in the West. What mattered was the pursuit itself.
According to the mage’s plan, this whole affair should have been over in just a few days. If everything had gone smoothly with his allies that is. By now, the front of gateway city’s walls should have been echoing with cries of, “Clear the way; we’re here for something!”
Whether the city’s authorities complied with that demand or not, the mage’s long-standing ambition would have been fulfilled. But no such news had arrived, and instead, an unexpected obstacle had appeared.
Moreover, the abilities of this intruder were anything but ordinary. To slay a wyvern that had turned into a monster so effortlessly? The mage might be able to defeat it if he made great preparations and put in his utmost effort, but the cost of resources would be immense.
Those useless fools. What is taking them so long?
The mage cursed his comrades again. If those lazy fools had only done their job on time, the city would already be in his grasp, just as the Abyss had instructed.
It couldn’t go on like this. It was time to revise the plan. For now, the mage decided to withdraw from the gateway city and disappear for a while.
***
“I plan to head to the wyvern’s nest.”
Kriel declared this calmly at the border guards morning meeting.
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