Chapter 24

Chapter 24 - The Fugitives (2)

 

He had never once felt awe in his life.

He had always been the one being praised, and that had been an unchanging truth from the moment he first took up swordsmanship.

He had been born with a talent different from others.

But that man was different.

“Did something happen while we were not with you?”

“……Hm? What did you just say?”

Vice Commander Roder, who was carrying out a search operation with the knights of the follow-up unit that had joined them last night, showed an uncharacteristic lack of focus.

It had been that way all day.

Staring blankly into the air was common, and sometimes, he even muttered something with a serious expression.

A look of worry passed over the face of the knight watching him.

“Did His Highness the 1st Prince give you a difficult order?”

“That is not it……”

“Hmm? Then the battle against the barbarians must have been very difficult. You seem exhausted.”

“……Hoo. It was the opposite.”

How much better it would have been if that were true……

Roder silently recalled the memories of the past and shook his head.

The land he had thought endlessly gray had been dyed red with their blood, and the chunks of flesh collapsed upon the ground were so numerous that it was difficult to tell whom they had belonged to.

Yes. The ghosts lying there had been enemies who had threatened them.

Even so, Roder’s body had been trembling uncontrollably.

-How can this be……!

When the helmet, unstained by even a single drop of blood, was removed, brilliant silver hair fell like a painting.

In the blood-colored gleam that had been hidden beneath the helmet, there was no emotion to be felt other than boredom.

Why would there be?

Without the slightest process to speak of, everything had happened by that man’s hand.

The knight listening to the story let his mouth fall open.

“……In that case.”

“He is at least at the highest level of a Sword Expert. Perhaps…… certainly even higher than that. We were not even given a chance to grasp our swords.”

“Th-Then is that not a higher level than even the commander?”

“……That is probably the case.”

Unlike his earlier rambling, he now nodded with a clarity that was almost firm, yet careful.

And even that action of his was wrong.

To simply measure the 1st Prince’s skill was impossible, for there was not even the slightest clue by which his ability could be gauged.

“During the time before the follow-up unit arrived, His Highness the 1st Prince cut down hundreds of barbarians, yet he maintained the same expression he had at the beginning. As if he felt no emotion whatsoever.”

“…….”

“To him, barbarian warriors were nothing more than that.”

Not even obstacles, but merely a tiny part of a passing process.

And yet, to be treated in such a way…… those wretches had been one of the representative dangers threatening the safety of the Northern Continent until now.

To the point that several punitive forces had needed to be organized. To the point that countless sacrifices had been born from them……!

Surely, that had been the case……

“Perhaps he never needed the help of our knight order in the first place.”

Even amid the confusion created by the entanglement of the common sense he had known and the truth he had seen with his own eyes, he could be certain.

They might have merely been a card used to convince the King.

It took less than half a day for him to realize that truth.

“So that is why the knights who were part of the advance unit had those expressions……”

The knight nodded as though he understood, then thought for a moment before speaking.

“If that is the case, why did he come to a place like this even while going that far? Even if he reduces the number of barbarians, there must be a limit to how many he can cut down in the end……”

“There is no meaning in thinking of such superficial reasons.”

Roder dismissed it with a solemn expression.

After all, there was no way mere knights like them could understand the thoughts of a ruler whose plan had already been completed.

Even if they were the Sun Knights, who received the awe of countless knights.

……The moment he thought that.

CLICK!

-We have found the traces you mentioned here!

An urgent magical communication from one of the knights came through.

***

“This is…… It seems like traces someone hid.”

George adjusted his glasses and stuck his head forward.

Pickaxes, safety helmets, and even something that looked like a cart.

The dust of the desolate land had been deliberately scattered over them to conceal their true nature, but their forms were certainly close to mining tools.

“Are you planning to discover a vein of ore here now?”

“…….”

“Good heavens, after living this long, I am going to see ore from the polar regions. Should I write a paper on it together with Mithril?”

Such useless banter.

I dismounted without a word and crooked my finger.

The one who approached was Roder, with a submissive attitude.

“Yes, Your Highness. Did you call for me?”

“Leave the Sun Knights here, and only you will follow me. Tell the others to activate the magic sphere immediately if enemies come.”

I said only that much, then dragged George along, who was massaging his calves after the long ride.

“Aaagh! Please wait a moment!”

The man, screaming from being forced to move without even a moment to rest, soon ran awkwardly and asked in a voice small enough that only I could hear.

“What is wrong with that man now?”

“What are you talking about?”

“That fellow who used to hold his head so high. The one called the vice commander or whatever.”

George had arrived here with the follow-up unit in charge of supplies and scouting.

He should not have known what had happened until now, but it seemed he had sensed the strange atmosphere lingering around the knight order by instinct.

I answered indifferently.

“It seems he has developed awe toward the 1st Prince.”

“……Only now?”

“Who knows?”

As he said, the Sun Knights that left Esteban had not moved obediently from the start.

They had likely been given a directive by the knight commander to act that way.

They would not have been able to trust my command when personnel had been requisitioned without consultation and the sudden departure for the north had taken place, all while I had no achievements to show.

Even so.

‘Not trusting a superior even on the battlefield. What a ridiculous matter.’

I had no particular intention of blaming anyone.

From their position of having been dragged here by orders from above, it was only natural for them to look after their own survival, and I did not need their cooperation either.

However, going against my orders was a different matter.

“Well, they will no longer be able to act as they please now.”

At my cold reply cutting through the thick coat, George shuddered.

“……Something definitely happened.”

“Nothing did. I merely moved as I have until now.”

What they felt in the process and how they acted because of it were their own matters, and I did not want to concern myself with them.

My duty in this land was to draw out the greatest gain with the minimum movement. Nothing more and nothing less.

Meanwhile, we reached the end of a canyon blocked by sheer cliffs.

Leaving aside that magnificent sight, it was a space far too vast and empty to be called a destination.

I stretched out my hand to stop the group, then began analyzing the energy I sensed while touching the wall.

“It is illusion-type magic.”

“Pardon? No matter how I look at it, it is a cliff.”

“If someone like you could distinguish it, it would not be called illusion magic.”

Hmm.

With that, I removed my hand from the wall and slowly crossed my arms.

This was troublesome.

Among the three cliff faces blocking the canyon, only one would be the passage leading to the true destination.

However, the energy of magic could be felt from all three.

No matter how sensitive a Sword Master’s senses were, unless he was a mage, finding the correct path would be difficult.

‘Should I destroy them all?’

……No.

I forced myself to erase the thought that had come to mind and let out a sigh.

Protecting the others from the collapsing cliffs would be almost impossible.

‘As expected, there is no helping it if circumstances change with time.’

In the past, no such barrier had existed.

Had I known, I would have refused to bring only the knight order.

This was my mistake for failing to consider such a situation.

If there were just a slightly clearer hint……

Just as I rested my chin on my hand and pondered, an unexpected voice flowed into my ears.

“Hmm? This cliff face seems a little unnatural.”

“…….”

“Look at this. Only this side has maintained a smooth texture, as if it had not been carved and erected.”

I turned my head in the direction the voice had come from.

Then, slowly. Very slowly, I savored the “smoothness” he had mentioned.

Hmm, indeed……

“……You said your name was Roder Calver?”

“That is correct, Your Highness.”

“You have remarkable eyes. That is the correct answer.”

“Pardon? I-It is an honor!”

One would not know without looking closely.

No, rather, it had been made so elaborately that one would not know even after looking closely.

Had he not said anything, I would not have felt even the slightest sense of incongruity.

“……So that is the level of talent needed to rise to the position of vice commander.”

If there was something most necessary when crossing swords, it was neither strength nor speed.

It was the chance to create an opening.

And the only way to create such an opportunity was to observe the opponent’s movements and predict the next action.

In that sense, the sharp eyes he possessed could be called the ability swordsmanship needed most.

I sent away George, who was still tilting his head in confusion, and delivered a warning to the two of them.

“Use your judgment. And stay calm.”

“……Haa. Are you saying something incomprehensible again?”

George, resigned, scratched his head and straightened his posture.

Since I had spoken that way, he knew better than anyone that something would happen one way or another.

Regardless of that, I looked forward to the pleasant scenes that would unfold, and swung my sword, filled with Aura, as though carving out an enemy.

Then.

CLANG!

“Gasp!”

“……Ha!”

A small crack formed in the air, and the entire cliff collapsed.

What we had believed to be a cliff vanished before we knew it, and a civilization filled with stone buildings of a strange style appeared.

I did not forget to graciously speak to George, who stepped back unsteadily and let out a hollow laugh.

“The position of aide must be weeping.”

Then I strode into the civilization.

However, it seemed George had a great deal he wanted to say.

“No matter how I look at it, this does not look like a mine.”

“You are free to think what you wish, but unfortunately, this is the land of another race.”

“……Another race?”

George searched through the knowledge of other races that had only been passed down in legends and continued speaking.

“As far as I know, scholars say the other races were wiped out from the continent……”

“That is only within the realm of conjecture. The knowledge humans possess is ultimately limited to the level of what they have seen and heard. There are no exceptions.”

“……And Your Highness the 1st Prince found such a thing.”

His questioning gaze pierced the back of my head.

It was a roundabout way of asking how I had known, but I felt no need to explain and maintained my silence.

After all, it would be difficult to explain the reason I had come north with that alone.

At that moment.

THUD!

A hammer that had flown from somewhere embedded itself in front of George’s feet.

At the same time, Roder drew his sword, but George merely grinned without concern.

“Is this what you meant by stay calm?”

“No.”

George looked at the ground beneath his feet, where dust was scattering, with eyes full of curiosity.

It was not a claw hammer, but a metallurgical hammer with a head longer than a handspan.

“……Ha.”

Had it landed just a little closer, having his foot smashed would have been the least of his concerns.

George, who had been tapping the hammer, turned his head toward the direction from which it had kindly been gifted.

“Humans! What business do you have in this land?”

“……Dwarves?”

Even if they rubbed their eyes and checked again, nothing would change.

The short men, each holding a hammer the size of a human head in one hand and exposing their broad upper bodies, were…… unmistakably dwarves from legend.

And not ones from an illustration, but dwarves who truly existed.