A man who introduced himself as Schwartz continued to hold out his hand until Kail ultimately didn’t accept his handshake, and he withdrew it with a “haha” laugh.
This might feel quite unpleasant, but Schwartz brushed it off lightly. It wasn’t like he was pretending; he genuinely didn’t seem to care.
“Schwartz… It’s a name I’ve never heard before. What do you want from me?”
“Hmm, I came to meet a promising swordsman. Originally, I wanted to taste that level too… but now I’ve stopped.”
“Why?”
“I’m full right now.”
As he spoke, looking into Schwartz’s sparkling eyes, it was easy to tell it wasn’t some trivial reason like having just finished eating.
Not a physical factor, but a psychological one. It meant that before coming here, something had pleased him.
Kail, pondering what it could be, noticed that Schwartz had already approached him and took a step back.
“You don’t need to be so scared. You look delicious enough. I won’t touch you right now.”
“…Why do only crazy people keep showing up?”
“Hahaha, you know well that without being obsessed with something, you can’t become a Master.”
After saying this, Schwartz licked his lips, turned around, and started to leave. Hiding among the crowd, he completely disappeared at some point.
Kail stared in the direction Schwartz had vanished and then turned to head home. He had never heard the name Schwartz before.
However, recalling his fanatical appearance, a name came to mind.
“The Iron Fanatics… no, Holy Weapons, wasn’t it?”
A terrorist group composed entirely of Masters. The Empire had already placed bounties on all members, but catching criminals without any known features was impossible.
The reason one of their members came to see him was very simple. He had recently clashed with a member of that organization.
“Kenneth, you cowardly bastard.”
So what if he’s a Master? Calling a friend because he couldn’t win alone?
That guy isn’t even a man. Next time I see him, I’ll make him a eunuch.
With that resolution, Kail swung his sword in the private training ground prepared in his mansion.
Inspiration sparked after encountering another Master lingered in his mind. Organizing dozens of possible strikes, he prepared for the next confrontation.
***
“Ah, sorry-.”
“…No, it’s my fault.”
Schwartz, lost in thought while walking absentmindedly, bumped into a passerby and bowed his head in apology. Even a Master like him failed to notice an ordinary person approaching due to being deep in thought.
There was a reason for that. He was in a state of ecstasy.
“The second one in two days…”
On his way from the Kingdom to the Academy to meet Kail, Schwartz encountered a certain monster in an unnamed mountain.
A monster the size of a human with six arms.
Holding swords in all six hands, the monster surprisingly emitted an Aura Blade and pointed it at Schwartz.
He had never seen such a creature in his life. Schwartz became excited and drew his sword.
“The best, truly-.”
Even now, recalling the fight with that monster excites him. His mind envisions the paths of the six swords swinging, and his body trembles, remembering the battle.
He reminisces about that fight. Although he didn’t defeat the monster, he vowed to defeat it someday.
Walking along, Schwartz bumped into another civilian again.
“Ugh-.”
But unlike before, Schwartz didn’t apologize. Not because of the harsh words from the civilian but because there was a sword at the civilian’s waist.
“Who are you?”
“…Even worms like you carry swords?”
“What? What did you just─.”
“I’m in a very good mood right now.”
Schwartz said this while locking eyes with the Academy student he bumped into. The student shuddered upon meeting his gaze.
“If you get out of my sight right now, I’ll forget this happened. I don’t want to ruin my appetite by cutting something useless.”
“Crazy bastard…?”
“Speak.”
Swish-! The student realized only that his lips were cut. He didn’t even notice when Schwartz drew or swung his sword.
As the student clutched his severed lips and mumbled, Schwartz leaned in and said,
“Pretend it’s pretty.”
“T-this bastard-!”
The student wasn’t going to stay quiet after getting his lips cut. The Academy student immediately drew his sword, and Schwartz furrowed his brow as he walked past him.
The student looked around for Schwartz, who had vanished, but couldn’t find him anymore.
“Eh, eh-?”
Thud, thud- Swish-!
Dozens of cracks appeared on the student’s body, and then he split into dozens of pieces. Like someone passing through barbed wire at high speed, the student fell apart into pieces, leaving Schwartz behind as he sighed deeply.
“…I’ve ruined my hand feel.”
Frowning, he shook off the blood and once again immersed himself in fantasy.
Into the overwhelming swordsmanship of six arms swinging.
***
After finishing morning training and heading to school from his mansion, Kail began tilting his head upon seeing soldiers blocking the middle of the road.
Curious, people surrounded the soldiers, murmuring amongst themselves. Wondering what was happening, Kail joined the crowd.
“What is that…?”
“There’s a murderer in the city…”
“The Academy needs to solve this quickly…”
Ignoring the noisy chatter of the residents, Kail checked what the soldiers were blocking. A bloody road. Someone must have died there.
The strange thing was the amount of bloodstains, as if someone had spilled all their blood at once. Considering that losing just 30% of blood results in instant death, it was an unusually large amount.
“Please step back. Do not come closer.”
The soldiers mechanically controlled the crowd without answering any questions.
Someone was murdered. Realizing just that fact, Kail went to the Academy and learned more about the incident there than at the scene itself.
“Hey, yesterday a second-year senior got killed by a sword while walking.”
“Really? What was he doing?”
“Don’t know? They say he was chopped into 108 pieces… As a Knight Department student, isn’t that embarrassing?”
Hearing the chatter of the Knight Department students, Kail immediately realized they were talking about the bloodstains in the city.
A second-year student was murdered.
By a sword.
Without resistance.
One piece of information flashed through Kail’s mind as he compiled the rumors.
“…Could it be.”
The mad swordsman who claimed he was full after seeing him.
A member of the Iron Fanatics, no, the Holy Weapons.
Probably “Sword” Schwartz.
“Kail.”
And at that moment, the representative student called Kail’s name. Looking up, Kail heard that Gawein was looking for him.
Hearing that Gawein was in the principal’s office, Kail headed straight there. He roughly guessed why he was being summoned.
Arriving at the principal’s office, Kail opened the door and entered. A powerful aura surged out, enveloping him.
“You’re here.”
Neither the usual sly principal nor the merely old codger Gawein was present. A cherished Academy student had been brutally murdered. They couldn’t stay calm.
Brushing off their intense auras lightly, Kail stepped inside.
“Old man, you called for me?”
“You probably know why.”
“A student from the Academy was murdered.”
“I saw the traces. It was the work of a Master. I know it wasn’t you—but just in case, are you responsible?”
At the same moment, Kail noticed magic power emanating from the principal’s body. A spell to determine truthfulness. Accepting the principal’s magic power calmly, Kail shook his head and spoke.
“It wasn’t me. But I know who the culprit is.”
“…Did you see them?”
“I didn’t see them, but based on the circumstances.”
Gawein and the principal asked with gleaming eyes who it was. Under their gaze, Kail answered.
“Schwartz. A member of the Holy Weapons.”
“Holy Weapons?”
“They’re also called the Iron Fanatics.”
“…That madman is in the Academy’s territory?”
As Kail nodded lightly, Gawein started gripping the armrest of the chair he was sitting on. Unable to withstand his grip, the armrest began to shatter.
And simultaneously—Gawein stared intently at Kail.
“If you knew, why didn’t you say anything?”
“Because you two are adults.”
“Student Kail. We didn’t call you here to joke around.”
“Can’t you understand even this?”
Looking at the principal pressing him, Kail returned a look of pity. Shrugging as if to say, “Go ahead and try explaining,” he slowly elucidated the meaning behind his words.
“You two are adults. If you had known a terrorist was in the Academy’s territory, you would have rushed to fight them long ago.”
“That’s right. It’s our duty.”
“That’s precisely why it’s a problem.”
“…What?”
While the two tilted their heads in confusion, Kail calmly alternated pointing at the principal and Gawein as he spoke.
“An old man holed up in a room who doesn’t know how to fight.”
“…?”
“An old geezer injured in war who can’t even perform half of his peak abilities.”
“What… are you saying?”
Watching the two flare up in anger, Kail leaned forward, resting his chin on his hand.
“How can I trust weaklings like you two?”
The two were far too weak.
Too weak to be trusted.
“This young man has to take action.”
Ultimately, it meant that he was the only one capable of protecting this Academy.
