Arno was proud to be a member of the Empire’s greatest knightly order.
The White Knights.
The white insignia symbolizing the best knight order in the Empire.
To be able to wear that on one’s chest was the highest honor a knight could aspire to.
Sword, sword, only the sword.
Arno was born into a fallen knight family.
— “The Frozen Steel Divine Sword reaches the ultimate truth of the world. Arno. Do not neglect your training. The fate of our family rests on you.”
To honor his father’s dying wish, Arno picked up a sword at the age of five.
Trained rigorously under the lord who took him in, by the age of ten, there was no adult in the territory who could match him.
A year later, after defeating all the swordsmen in the territory except the family’s knights, he was given the title ‘genius’.
He continued to grow for several more years before finally being admitted to the White Knights.
The continent’s top knightly order, where the value of one knight was compared to that of a hundred regular soldiers.
— “Is this really all you’ve got?”
A place where only geniuses gathered was no easy place to be.
Even among geniuses, some would be recognized while others would be seen as fools.
Arno gritted his teeth.
He refined the family swordsmanship, the Frozen Steel Divine Sword, until he was acknowledged within the order.
Finally, an opportunity came to him.
— “It’s an infiltration mission, Arno.”
— “Infiltration?”
— “Yes. The target is the Grey Dukedom. We suspect it to be part of the Blood Cult. There have been frequent disappearances of children in the territory.”
— “Such…!”
— “No need to be shocked yet. A prophecy has been given. They are said to be offering children as sacrifices to summon an unimaginable disaster.”
Arno gritted his teeth as he listened to the knight captain’s explanation.
— “… What should I do?”
— “First, confirm whether the Grey Dukedom is indeed part of the Blood Cult. The rest comes afterward. Depending on the situation, eliminate the vessel of the disaster. Can you do it? This mission requires you to risk your life.”
A top-secret mission.
Arno nodded.
He had a goal.
To stand tall in the world with the family’s secret art, the Frozen Steel Divine Sword.
He couldn’t shy away from difficult missions.
Thus, he was dispatched to the Grey Dukedom.
Arno posed as a servant of the house, collecting evidence that the family was indeed part of the Blood Cult.
And finally.
‘That’s the vessel containing the King of the Underworld…’
He found Lloyd.
A child alone in a room, with eyes rolled back.
An unexplainable dark aura emanated from the child, just being near it made breathing difficult and knees buckle due to its overwhelming presence.
The next report would be possible in a month.
For now, dispose of that puppet containing the disaster.
Arno waited for the right moment.
And finally, the opportunity came.
A trial was being held to test the new children inducted into the Blood Cult, and Arno lay in ambush near a mana trace in the dark forest.
Lloyd approached.
Arno prepared his lethal technique.
Without a sound, drawing the sword from its sheath to release a sword aura, the 1st form of the 4th technique of the Frozen Steel Divine Sword, the Silent Sword.
He would release the sword aura broadly and crush the puppet. So that the disaster sleeping inside could not escape.
Arno was determined. He thought he was.
“…”
The boy looked so weak.
Unlike when the disaster’s aura had been seeping out, the boy’s emaciated body was striking. He looked as if he could collapse at any moment, with deep dark circles under his eyes.
Occasionally, he would cover his ears as if hearing hallucinations, his hands trembling like those of a person with severe tremors.
A boy and a sick person at the same time.
‘That is a puppet.’
Arno repeated to himself.
That is not a weakling to be protected by a knight, but a vessel containing disaster.
‘It’s a puppet, a puppet.’
He must be eliminated before the disaster awakens.
Didn’t the deputy commander also say so?
He gritted his teeth and drew his sword.
The sword aura shot out wide and struck directly.
He thought the boy would die.
Until the boy dodged.
Arno was bewildered. How did he manage to dodge that? There was no sign of movement. It was nearly impossible to evade by luck alone.
Above all, Arno was a knight, and he had launched a surprise attack.
Confused, he uttered a few words.
— “I will execute you.”
Then he attacked again. It must have been a series of incredible coincidences.
No matter how much disaster he contained, there was no reason for a knight of the White Knights to lose to a boy.
However.
— Chang.
“…?”
The boy blocked Arno’s initial move.
Arno’s sword slid off the boy’s small shield and struck a tree.
The tree, unable to withstand the sword aura, toppled.
Arno quickly dodged the falling tree.
– Kuuuung!
Walking out of the dust, Arno tilted his head.
Was it a coincidence?
The blow that Lloyd had just blocked, Arno hadn’t held back at all. Yet Lloyd had effortlessly blocked his attack, as if he could see the path of the strike.
‘That can’t be.’
He was a knight of the White Knights.
“Haah!”
Arno launched a deep attack, stepping in with force.
But Lloyd simply tilted his head to avoid the thrust.
“What the…”
Arno was baffled.
It seemed like his opponent could see all his attacks coming. The boy didn’t even look fourteen. This made no sense.
“Who are you!”
Swish!
This time, his attack missed wildly.
Arno couldn’t understand it at all. Even within the knightly order, his sword was known for its speed.
Yet the boy was dodging it just by sight.
As if he had experienced countless battles like a veteran.
“Damn it!”
The body was that of a child.
But the movements inside were not those of a child.
Efficient movements as if honed by many battles.
The opponent seemed like a veteran who had survived countless wars.
Slash!
Instead, it was Arno’s cheek that got cut, blood flowing.
Was it a severing spell?
“Dammit!”
A few more severing spells rained down.
— Clang! Clang!
Arno unleashed the Frozen Steel Divine Sword with full force.
One of the few sword techniques capable of blocking magic.
At the same time, he closed the distance.
When fighting a magician, close the distance. A knight acts on this instinctively.
And then.
The boy, as if waiting for this, kicked the ground.
Rustle!
Black dirt filled Arno’s vision.
“!!!”
Arno instinctively shut his eyes for a moment.
◆
Frost forming on the sword’s surface.
Simultaneously, sharp attacks poured in.
‘Is he insane?’
Dodging Arno’s attacks, Lloyd clicked his tongue.
The sharpness was unbelievable for an ordinary knight of the White Knights.
Especially, the cold aura clinging to his sword sent chills down Lloyd’s spine every time it brushed past.
Even for Lloyd, who had fought the Demon King.
—Tzzzz!
Moreover, a sword technique that could block magic?
He had never heard of such a thing.
Was this batch of the White Knights particularly exceptional?
Lloyd gulped and widened the distance.
Swish, the sword aura sliced through the air, taking a few strands of Lloyd’s hair with it.
‘I’m reaching my limit.’
Lloyd had been evading by predicting the flow of mana with his superhuman senses.
But that was all he could do.
He had little mana left.
This foolish body of Lloyd’s, while having extraordinary talent, had pathetically poor durability.
If Arno closed the distance, it would be truly life-threatening.
‘Maybe I have one more attack left.’
He was low on mana, and his mana circuits couldn’t hold out any longer.
His hands trembled from the strain of forcibly opening blocked mana circuits.
He could only use one more spell.
— “Cut off his head. His blood will be cold, but it will taste good.”
Shut up.
Lloyd retorted inwardly, preparing himself.
Of course, he had no intention of sparing his opponent.
Though it seemed he was on the side of good, the moment he pointed his sword at Lloyd, it became meaningless.
Knights instinctively protect their vital points.
Head, neck, heart, forehead, groin—all places directly connected to their life, making them hard to strike in one blow.
So.
— Pababak!
As Arno closed the distance, Lloyd kicked the ground.
The dirt he had subtly gathered earlier was flung into Arno’s face.
He wouldn’t have predicted this.
He had fought straightforwardly until now.
Lloyd immediately threw himself to the side, dodging the sword thrust through the dirt.
Roll.
Even while rolling on the ground, Lloyd flicked his fingers vertically.
— Slash!
With a chilling noise, a sharp wound was carved vertically down the center of Arno’s abdomen.
The center of the body.
The area hardest for any knight to defend. Yet, simultaneously, the hardest place to inflict a fatal wound.
However.
Taking advantage of Arno’s hesitation, Lloyd prepared one more spell.
He was out of mana, but it didn’t matter.
He would use the mana within Arno’s body.
As Lloyd’s fingers moved through the gap in Arno’s split armor.
“What… what is this!”
Arno clutched his abdomen in shock.
Thud.
He collapsed to his knees.
He tried to close his eyes as if meditating, but it was already too late.
“Cough!”
Bright red blood poured out of his mouth.
It would be difficult to raise his body since the mana in his dantian had flowed back.
Step, step.
Lloyd slowly approached Arno.
“Raise your head.”
Blood dripping, Arno lifted his head.
Lloyd picked up the nearby fallen sword.
The blood-soaked hilt was sticky.
He pressed the blade to the knight’s throat.
“Answer my questions.”
“How… how did you control someone else’s mana…?”
“I’ll tell you if you answer my question. If I like your answer, I’ll even spare your life.”
“That can’t be…”
“Well, you have nothing to lose by believing me, right? Unless you want to die without leaving a will.”
“…”
His silence was a form of agreement.
“Why did you target me?”
“A prophecy. And… by the order of Princess Aina.”
“What was the order?”
“Track the Blood Cult.”
As he vomited blood, Lloyd frowned.
“Do you have any information about this place, this mansion?”
“Why… do you care?”
“Because I need to escape too.”
“Don’t lie… you are from the Underworld… the Blood Cult’s…”
“Stop wasting time and just tell me. I’m in a hurry.”
They had already spent quite a bit of time. The Blood Cult’s executives might come looking for him.
“This… this is the highest branch of the Blood Cult. I estimate. The Duchess ranks within the top five.”
“As expected.”
“They raise their powerful members here. The mansion itself is a massive magic circle for brainwashing.”
“I see.”
“The black mark on your forearm. The darker it gets, the more you lose your mind. You’ve already lost most of it.”
… Really?
Lloyd tilted his head.
Sure, his mind was slowly sinking, but he didn’t feel it much.
Arno pointed to his waist.
Numerous needles were stuck into his waist.
“There is an injection to prevent brainwashing. In my room. If you don’t kill me, I’ll share it with you.”
“Just answer properly.”
“Ask.”
Lloyd examined Arno.
His eyes were resolute, like a true knight.
Knights, despite seemingly following orders, are prideful.
Especially Arno, who carried antidote injections on his waist while performing his duty.
For people like him to move, there must be a very solid reason.
What could that be?
What did Arno believe in to try to kill Lloyd?
And… would other knights also try to kill Lloyd?
Only one question was needed to solve these doubts.
“Then tell me. What is this prophecy?”
“The second prophecy. The one received by Saint Aria. It is…”
As Arno began to speak.
— Splatter!
Blood gushed from his mouth.
Twitch!
His eyes flipped as he convulsed briefly.
The spilled blood stained Lloyd’s face red.
Lloyd slowly lowered his gaze.
Arno’s left chest.
From there, a long, pale white hand protruded.
Throb, throb.
The heart held in that hand beat a few times before slowly stopping.
Lloyd slowly raised his head again.
Beyond Arno.
Ash-gray hair swayed eerily.
“What kind of secret conversation were you having?”
The Grey Duchess.
A single drop of blood trickled down her cheek.
Drip.
The drop of blood rolled down and stained the corners of her lips, which were upturned.
