TMLLT 67

Chapter 67

“Today, I’ll Really Say It”

Well, I didn’t have to answer him.

But no matter what his answer was, this time, I wanted to help Roitz.

I blew on his hand again and said,

“I’m still far behind compared to you, but that’s because you’re so skilled, not because I’m incapable.”

“I’ve never thought you were incapable.”

“Anyway, if things get hard, please tell me. I want to be someone who’s more helpful to you.”

Roitz looked at me like someone who had just been hit unexpectedly.

Then, a gentle smile spread across his face.

Suddenly, he pulled his arm toward himself.

Since I was holding his wrist, I was pulled forward too.

“Whoa!”

Roitz brought the hand I had pulled down earlier back toward his face.

My hand ended up near his mouth as well.

“…W-what are you doing?”

“You’re already enough.”

“Enough for what?”

He gave a playful smile and lightly blew on my hand.

For some reason, the warmth seemed to spread through my whole body.

“Things like this.”

“I’m still far from enough. This isn’t enough to count.”

“All right. I’ll try to be more helpful.”

“No, I’m saying I want to be the one helping you!”

When I said it in frustration, Roitz burst into laughter.

It seemed teasing me was his own kind of amusement.

I pouted and glared at him, but he just smiled again, eyes crinkling in amusement.

Seeing him so happy, I thought maybe helping him like this wasn’t such a bad thing after all.

Of course, I still wanted to be someone who could actually be relied on.

Now that I thought about it, since it had been a while since we were alone, maybe this was the perfect time to tell him my plan.

Should I say it now?

Yes, now.

Up until now, I’d just been all talk—“I’ll say it, I’ll say it”—without actually doing it.

If I could see myself objectively, I’d probably think, You keep saying you’ll say it, but when exactly are you going to do it?

But this time, I was really going to say it.

I’d explain step by step—starting with why I’d made this plan in the first place…

“Serdin.”

I was organizing my thoughts when Roitz called my name.

“That whistle I gave you—do you still have it?”

“Of course.”

It was the whistle he had given me years ago during strength training camp. I always carried it.

To me, it was like a token that reminded me of my determination as a knight.

Even after Necroquad was gone, I knew I’d still keep it.

“Here.”

I reached into my inner pocket to take it out.

But when I pulled out the whistle—

“Oh.”

—I accidentally dropped something else on the ground.

It was the Light Dagger.

The blade had separated from its sheath and landed at Roitz’s feet with a clink.

“…!”

For a brief moment, silence.

I quickly reached to pick it up.

Did he see it?

No, if I just put it back in the sheath right away…

But before I could, Roitz grabbed my wrist.

“A Light Dagger?”

“Uh…”

Before I could make up an excuse, his gaze was already fixed clearly on the dagger.

If he knew what it was, then he also knew what it was for—

To be used on a summoned beast.

“This is an uninhabited forest. A summoned beast here would mean…”

He didn’t finish his sentence, but I knew what he meant.

My heart pounded hard.

There was curiosity written all over his face.

I knew right then I had to speak—now.

Yes, I had to explain everything—my plan, the reasons for it, why I had brought the dagger.

“Senior, what I’m going to do with this is—”

But just then, our signal device went off loudly.

An alert—A rank-1 monster had appeared in the west.

“…!”

We had to move immediately. I couldn’t finish my sentence. I ran toward the west.

“Senior, actually—”

“Later.”

I had completely missed my timing. I could only close my mouth.

When we reached the west side, the area was already nearly destroyed.

Several soldiers were badly injured, and under Exus’s command, the knights were fighting despite their wounds.

“Spread out!”

“Over here! We need support!”

From between unnaturally tall trees, a huge, slick black monster appeared.

“…!”

Just looking at it made goosebumps rise on my skin.

It was my first time seeing a rank-1 monster in person.

Its thrashing froze my body for a moment, but there was no time to hesitate.

I moved quickly.

“Serdin!”

Roitz caught my shoulder and stopped me.

He met my eyes and spoke in a low, steady voice.

“Don’t push yourself. I didn’t bring you here to fight something like that.”

“…Yes.”

“Your safety and life come first. That’s the most important rule. Don’t forget—ever.”

Only when I nodded did he run toward the monster.

Roitz drew Necroquad. The monster stopped moving for a moment.

The knights didn’t miss the opening—they pinned its two feet to the ground.

“Its movements are sealed! Just finish it off!”

While the knights shouted and fought, I was running to join in when I saw something else.

That’s…

It looked like a young rank-2 monster.

It was about the size of a human, and there was something in the pouch on its belly.

God’s Stone!

The sacred relic detector I carried lit up and beeped.

The monster noticed me and began to run.

I needed backup, but looking around—there was no one who could chase it except me.

I dashed into the undergrowth, chasing it.

It was fast, but still within the range a human could pursue. I ran at my top speed.

It’s still young. At that size, I can handle it alone…

But then, the monster suddenly turned toward me.

Flames full of savage heat burst from its mouth.

“…!”

The force was strong enough to scorch the ends of my hair. I rolled on the ground to dodge.

Swallowing hard, I steadied myself. The monster charged at me, thinking it had the upper hand.

I leapt into a tree to avoid it.

Flames shot out again, setting the branch I’d just been on ablaze.

I quickly moved to another branch.

It’s young, but it’s still a rank-2 monster…

At least its not-fully-grown body made the height difference effective.

But just dodging won’t end this.

It had the God’s Stone—I couldn’t just let it go.

The monster kept breathing fire at me.

This wasn’t ordinary fire—if I got hit directly, the pain would be many times worse.

Even so, I had to take the risk and face it head-on.

I checked its position and jumped to a good distance.

The monster saw me and charged again.

Strong firepower and speed—it was dangerous. But…

I can use fire too!

As I thrust my sword toward it, it spat fire again.

What I was about to attempt was more of a gamble than a technique—but at this range, it was worth trying.

Nothing to lose.

If a human could control a monster as a summoned beast, that meant the flow of mana and the monster’s power weren’t that different.

If sacred power could be transformed in a way similar to mana, then the monster’s power could be too.

Swordmasters’ mana came from their sword core, which drew mana from nature.

If that’s the case…

I pictured the monster’s flames themselves as part of my blade—just like I had wrapped sword energy around a tree, and like I had wrapped it around that monster’s horn before.

Shouting, I wrapped my sword energy around the fire itself as it connected with my sword.

The flames aimed at me suddenly turned back—engulfing the monster that had produced them.

“…”

The monster went still.

Only then did I breathe out.

Barely holding myself upright, I retrieved the God’s Stone from it.

I had told myself I could do it, but I knew it wasn’t easy.

Still, I believed the best chance came from doing it while fully believing in myself.

And luckily, it had worked.

“…Phew.”

I looked at the glowing object in my hand—the goal of this expedition, the thing we had to reclaim.

But…

Where was I?

I looked around.

…Seriously, where was I?

I pulled out the signal device—but it was broken, probably from hitting trees while I was moving.

I looked up.

The thick canopy of Edikal Forest blocked the sky, and with the clouds, no moon or stars could be seen.

Without the landmarks in the sky, I had no idea where I was.

So… I came from that direction, right?

I walked for about thirty minutes before stopping again.

I was lost. Completely.

There is one way…

But I wasn’t sure if I should use it.