Volume 2 Chapter 103 Dawn Of Izerland I
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Kian, you’re doing something foolish. Do you understand?”
Oswald asked, holding the Holy Sword of the Sun in its sheath with one hand.
Kian silently drew the Windsong Blade from its sheath.
The morning breeze passed through the sword’s hole, playing a delicate melody.
Usually, it emitted a jarring sound that filled the surroundings, but today, the sword was silent.
”────”
His heart was as calm as a still sea.
He was prepared for the exchange of lives.
”Why do you side with Her Excellency Maribel? You gain nothing, and instead, lose so much. Surely you’re not fighting with some cheap sense of justice like ‘protecting a delicate maiden’?”
”…That’s not all.”
Kian stepped down onto the marble stairs and looked directly down at the golden-haired youth.
”To put it simply, I’m fighting for the sake of being me.”
”I don’t understand what that means.”
”That’s understandable. You are Oswald, and not me. No matter how keen your insight into others is, you can’t possibly understand me.”
The sadness from being exiled 15 years ago.
The pain of no one coming to help him.
The hope to see the future of Izerland as drawn by Maribel.
The resolve to protect the woman he embraced, no matter the cost.
Those feelings exist outside of mere gain and loss.
Kian Vahid reached these conclusions because he had lived a unique life.
Such emotions would be utterly incomprehensible to someone who has lived a life like Oswald, consumed by worldly matters.
”How ridiculous! You were such a cheap person, Kian Vahid! I thought you were cold, calculating, and willing to sacrifice anything to rise to power.”
”That’s also one side of me. If some button was pressed wrong, that sort of future might have been possible. But this time, I decided to be on Her Excellency Maribel’s side. I’m bound by nothing. Only myself can bind me. I help them because I want to. That’s all.”
”Helping because you want to is a privilege of the strong! It’s not a phrase a weak person should utter in a situation overwhelmingly against them!”
”Unfortunately, I’m always going to be an exception. I hope you don’t judge me by your common yardstick”
”No, it won’t change. You’re special, but your body is the same as anyone else’s. You die if you’re cut. If you fight me, you’ll definitely lose, and you’ll disappear without a trace.”
Oswald clenched his teeth.
”You’re skilled. You’re not someone I can win against by holding back. …If we fight, it will be a fight to the death.”
”Then that’s fine. …Actually, I’ve been secretly thinking the same thing. Seeing your sword up close, its beauty, its power…”
Kian naturally felt his lips curl upwards.
He’d dedicated his whole life to martial arts, both body and soul.
If he didn’t have the fighting instinct to want to fight strong opponents and win, he would have quit being a swordsman long ago and become some other kind of worker.
So, what would he think if he saw the swordsmanship of the ‘Knights of the Sun,’ renowned as the strongest?
What would he feel?
It was self-evident.
With his jet-black eyes wide open, Kian stared down at the ‘Knights of the Sun’.
He thought that he must be grinning ferociously.
”I want to have a real fight with you, a fight to the death.”
”────”
”All of this is why I want to fight you. Do you understand?”
”…”
Oswald’s eyes narrowed.
He draws back his golden magic sword like a bow.
The scabbard ignited.
From where the red flames rose, the silvery blade beneath became visible.
The scabbard is what is possessed by Oswald, granting him power.
That’s why he can do such strange things with it.
(I’m not sure how much time lag there is between drawing and sheathing the sword. I need to be careful or I’ll lose to either a one-hit attack with the magic sword or a Secret Technique using the holy sword and be defeated in an instant.)
”No, Kian. No…, No! I…I don’t want to kill you…”!
”I won’t be your Knight. Nor will I be yours. If you think you can control me with your charm, you’re mistaken.”
Apparently, Kian’s words were decisive for Oswald.
”…!”
He takes a small breath and…
”────So be it”
Baring his teeth, a ferocious expression contorts his handsome face.
”You won’t become mine, Kian”
”Yes. I will walk my own path. Isn’t that natural for an adventurer?”
”Then, you are my enemy?”
There was no emotion left in his words.
Calmly.
Coldly.
He was only measuring the distance to eliminate the enemy before him──.
”────”
Kian holds up his Windsong Blade, a sword riddled with holes, to the side of his ear, preparing to fight.
His determined profile reflected in the sword’s blade.
”Natra, do you think I’m a fool?”
”Yes”
With an immediate response, a girl with a Kitsune mask appears behind Kian.
She held a long sword engraved with magic language in her hand.
Natra, raising the Kitsune mask to her temple, continued.
”Regardless of the reason, failing to consider profit and loss is a problem. Even if you save Her Excellency Maribel like this, do you truly believe she would do the same for you if you were in danger?”
”No. And I don’t expect her to. I don’t trust strangers.”
”…Helping others rarely leads to them returning the favor. However.”
A surge of Natra’s pure energy (ki) radiated from her body.
She extended the hand holding her longsword and swiftly formed a seal with the other.
It was the enhancement sigil of Azrael’s warrior monks—known as Kirin Arts.
With a deep whoosh, red energy wrapped around Kian, boosting his speed and weapon power.
”Perhaps, once in a thousand, someone will be moved by your actions and choose to fight for you with all their heart. That’s all I believe.”
”…Thank you. I appreciate it.”
Responding while keeping his gaze fixed ahead.
A magic power path connected with Natra, causing Kian’s magic power to surge dramatically.
Magic power was necessary for turning into mist or performing consecutive shots with the Windsong Blade.
This amount of magic power would enhance Kian’s combat ability.
”──I never imagined that joining forces would lead to fighting on such a grand stage so soon.”
Another figure appeared from behind.
A Dark Elf with a Tengu mask revealed herself.
Her silver hair tied in a side tail swayed in the morning sun.
A captivating fragrance of flowers emanated from her body.
”Rufna”
”I don’t mind fighting for a Master who has no stake in the outcome. Even though I’ve only lived for a little over 50 years, I’ve always thought that those who reach the true pinnacle are the kind of guys who ‘go crazy for organizations or kings.’ You get needed, trusted, and deeply relied on because you go crazy for others. ──Of course, it’s troublesome if you’re a fool who constantly sacrifices yourself.”
”Like I said before, this time is special.”
”Ah.”
Rufna formed a seal with both hands.
It was known as the Genbu Technique, another enhancement seal of Azrael’s warrior monk.
The effect was an increase in physical defense and resistance to rituals.
Additionally, her healing ability would see a significant improvement.
Adding to Natra’s magic power, Rufna’s immense magic power also flowed into Kian’s body.
The paths of all 3 connected.
They were in a state of mutually reinforcing each other.
”The princess of Izerland and the Head Magician will never forget you for the rest of their lives. I think so. If you win this battle, you’ll gain a unparalleled friend. It’s the step that connects to the next. I’ll lend you my strength, Master. Let’s fight together!”
”Thank you.”
His fighting spirit is soaring.
With these two familiars, he’s confident he can face any powerful enemy.
(Win! I have to win!)
Aisha nocked her silver bow.
”Sir Oswald”
”Yeah, that Dark Elf, the missing shaman we received reports about.”
”Why did he become Lord Kian?”
”Probably because she lost to Kian and was turned into a thrall. ────Absolutely do not let your guard down. Kian uses vampire-like powers in addition to his warrior monk abilities. But numbers won’t matter.”
”Hah””Hah”
Aisha and Oswald’s knights took their stances.
Each and every one of them was a skilled fighter comparable to Guillaume or Lord Katze.
One must not overlook Oswald and Aisha.
”Nnfu♡ Oswald, you’ve been caught”
A loud voice.
The final actor of this battlefield, Owl, appeared at the center of the marble staircase.
”…Owl”
”It must have been hard for you to storm in like this. If you had just continuously fired the magic sword of the sun from outside, we wouldn’t have been able to do anything.”
”I just didn’t want to turn the Main Castle, where we hold our ceremonies, into ruins.”
”That overconfidence will be your downfall! Arrogant sun, despicable tyrant of power! Now the hammer of darkness will crush you! OOOOOOHHHH!”
”────!?””…!”
”Mr. Owl…?”
In front of Kian, whose brows furrowed, Owl’s knight began to transform.
His height doubled.
He took on the form of a long, reddish-purple bat-like creature.
His eyes were red, his fangs sharp.
His arms had degenerated into blade-like wings.
On his back were massive wings that could cover the sky.
”Owl, you are”
Oswald’s voice, tense and drawn out.
Owl spread his long arms and wings and howled towards the sky.
”You foolish fool for trusting in your own strength! Recognize the wisdomof Tobal Cain! Search for the dawn that never comes in my ‘night’! Ahahaha! Ahahaha!”
The laughter of the Owl, transformed into a grotesque form, was unnaturally deep, and its echo, like in human times, was shrill.
As he flapped his wings and soared into the sky, pitch-black mist erupted into the air, covering Main Castle.
Dividing the world between the moat’s inside and outside, changing the interior to a ‘night’ where the sun’s rays never reach.
It’s not darkness.
It’s ‘night’.
Proof of that, in the dark sky that enveloped Main Castle entirely, there was a white, shining moon.
Clearly larger than an ordinary moon, a full moon without a single missing piece.
The unique, moist air of night seeped into one’s very being.
Several of Oswald’s Knights – screams rose from the rear troops.
They had touched Owl’s spread ‘night’ barrier.
Seeing their comrades vanish as if drawn into the darkness, the other Knights recoiled nervously.
”Aisha?”
”…An ancient, powerful barrier magic. I apologize, I cannot break it.”
”What should we do? Use the sun’s magic sword?”
Aisha shook her head.
”No, it would probably be a waste of effort. We need to find the caster somewhere within this barrier and defeat them, or the ‘night’ will never end. But──”
Black mist swirled in front of Kian.
Owl’s voice boomed down from above.
”Go, my dear Knights!”
As his words ended, 3 Knights appeared.
Fully armed and their faces covered by visors, it was impossible to tell what was inside.
However.
(A swordsman with about the same build as me, a giant shield bearer, and a thin magician)
The 3 of them seem to be quite skilled.
Moreover, they understand each other’s movements, and they descend the marble stairs in formation.
Kian also went down the stairs, narrowing his eyes as he headed towards Oswald.
(This stance, this way of moving, somewhere…)
Regardless, Owl’s prized servants were formidable allies.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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