Leon, having heard my story, said it was fine and turned his student half a turn.
On her back, wings with black fur were sprouting.
“Are those wings too small? Can you really fly?”
“They’re too large, so they usually shrink in size.”
Looking at Leon’s student, she silently nodded.
“We’re going to rescue, but if we get into a dangerous situation, I might not be able to help. The priest with me has no combat ability.”
As I spoke while looking at Leon’s student, she slowly opened her mouth.
“Don’t worry. I won’t be a hindrance.”
She replied with a somewhat stiff expression.
To ease the atmosphere a bit, I made a simple introduction.
“I am Revelin.”
After getting to know each other’s names, the awkward atmosphere improved a little.
“So, when are you departing?”
“It hasn’t been decided yet. I’ll let you know when it’s confirmed, but be prepared to leave at any time.”
I intended to depart immediately once Epiro and Maran’s locations were identified.
The Demon King said he would let me know by tomorrow, but no matter how outstanding Unit 5 is, it would be unreasonable to expect that kind of speed.
As I left Leon’s mansion, I looked at the time on the clock hanging on the wall.
I didn’t go straight back to the accommodation but stopped by near the castle gate for a moment.
Soldiers were on guard duty at the castle wall all day long.
The castle gate opens at least twice a day: when soldiers go out to exterminate the Undead and when they return, as now.
The castle gate opened, and units that had gone out to exterminate the Undead were pouring in.
Among them, I saw Riki, whose condition had greatly improved over the past few days.
“Why are you out here?”
“Just wanted to talk a bit.”
I took Riki to an empty tavern in the city center.
In the tavern, with no owner, only wine bottles took their place.
Pouring the remaining wine into a glass, I handed it to Riki.
“How’s your condition?”
“Thanks to the training method for the demon sword, I’ve improved a lot.”
“Is your swordsmanship practical?”
I had yet to use the swordsmanship taught by the demon sword in actual combat.
“Well, it’s a bit inadequate.”
“Oh really?”
It seemed that practice and real combat were quite different.
“It’s training swordsmanship, so I have to supplement the shortcomings myself.”
“Training swordsmanship?”
“Yes. Afterward, I’ve occasionally spoken with the demon sword. The real swordsmanship will come after completing the training version.”
If that’s the case, then the swordsmanship I received wasn’t perfect either.
There must be some shortcomings, and only when those are filled will the proper swordsmanship be completed.
“For the time being, stay here and wait.”
“Is something going on?”
“Not that, but it seems I’ll have to be away for a bit soon.”
As I brought it up, Riki had a look that somehow understood.
“Just for reference, it’s not a vacation or anything.”
“Okay?”
“So, while I’m gone, you just have to take the temporary captain role.”
Riki raised his glass and lightly wet his lips.
“Understood. But can you explain?”
Riki requested an explanation about why I would be away.
Without going into much detail, I spoke shortly and concisely.
“Maran? Is he the one who wrote that letter saying it was dangerous?”
“Do you know him?”
“I’ve never personally met him, but he’s famous among the citizens as a demon swordsman.”
The words he spoke when I first met Maran came to mind.
He had said, after I replied that I didn’t know him, that he was famous even in Roran.
Seeing that both Leon and Riki were aware of him suggests that he is indeed famous.
After leaving the tavern, Riki and I walked through the quiet marketplace and arrived at our accommodation.
“You go in first; I want to check on something for a moment.”
Once Riki entered the accommodation, I stepped into the training area behind.
Standing in the shadowy open space, I forged a sword made of iron and gripped it in my hand.
Suddenly looking at the iron sword, I wondered if I could use it in actual combat.
It was suitable for practice, but it was far too crude for combat.
Seeing the Demon King create a sword made me imitate, but it was still quite different from a real sword.
Upon closer inspection, the blade wasn’t properly sharpened.
Nonetheless, it posed no problem for practicing swordsmanship, so I decided to let it go for now.
Holding the sword, I began to slowly execute the swordsmanship taught by the demon sword.
Having become accustomed to it, the sword was swung as naturally as flowing water.
The art of this swordsmanship lies in the unity of offense and defense.
It can be swung for attack but can also be used to defend.
I thought it was the best swordsmanship, but Riki would clearly notice the shortcomings.
With no opponent, I was left to find the weaknesses in my technique by continuing to swing.
I eventually stopped counting after the hundredth swing.
Even after swinging so much, my entire body wasn’t drenched in sweat; I still felt energetic.
While swinging the sword until my stamina ran out, a thought entered my mind as I began to execute the swordsmanship backward.
Isn’t it okay to start backward from the beginning?
Once repeated just once, I would ultimately return to the original position anyway.
To grasp the principles contained in this swordsmanship, practical experience is needed.
The next day, my daily routine of paperwork and various meetings repeated.
The Demon King had confidently stated it would be resolved in a day, but since Unit 5 would handle the investigation, it was unavoidable that it would take time.
I received contact from the Demon King late that evening.
“Have you been waiting long? I’ll be there soon.”
Unlike yesterday, today I met the Demon King on the roof of the accommodation.
Suddenly appearing in mid-air was the Demon King, floating in the form of a child.
“The place where the two are located is a city called Emerald Bay.”
“Where is that?”
“If you go a little more west from Kant, you’ll find it.”
The Demon King spread a map and pointed with a finger.
“It’s not marked as a city, though?”
“It’s a city located by a lake in the forest.”
“How long will it take to get there?”
“If we use teleportation, we can go right now.”
Although it was wartime, it seemed teleportation was available.
I received information from the Demon King about the teleport locations around here and the one in Emerald Bay.
“Well, since it’s late today, we should leave early tomorrow.”
“Oh, it seems there is an Undead chief around there.”
“It looks like Maran hasn’t been able to deal with that guy.”
“Taking on four alone would be quite a stretch, wouldn’t it?”
“Four?”
The Demon King sighed softly and looked at the map.
There were red circles marked here and there, and arrows drawn.
“Forces are gathering in favorable locations to invade surrounding cities.”
“What is the Roran Imperial Army doing?”
“They’re defending against the Undead Legion.”
No matter how much the Roran Imperial Army is, it’s impossible to send all forces across such a wide territory.
They are stationed in important cities, defending and attacking.
Emerald Bay is located in the forest, making it difficult for troops to enter if conquered, so it seems they’ve given up.
Some citizens managed to escape, but those who couldn’t became isolated.
Among them are Epiro and Maran.
“Are there more survivors?”
“Maybe? That’s why the demon swordsman there can’t move recklessly.”
It’s likely that a citizen who escaped the city brought a letter written by Maran.
Simply receiving that letter is already quite a fortune.
The situation has become complicated.
With just myself, Jema, and Revelin, we can’t save a large number of people.
“Indeed, we need to increase our numbers.”
We can’t take all our main forces with the Undead Legion potentially looming for another attack.
The Demon King said he would take his leave and vanished into the dark night sky.
The next morning, I took Revelin from Leon’s accommodation.
In front of our accommodation, Jema and Melorna were waiting.
“Are you really going to take her?”
“Iwaf is a member.”
After debating whether to take Iwaf or Melorna, I decided on Melorna.
A gap in the Knight Order could be filled by just me.
Suddenly, I regretted not asking the Demon King about Aila’s condition last night.
If she has returned to her original body, Aila can take back her position as captain.
If that were the case, I could have gone to help Maran with a lighter heart.
Riki came out of the accommodation late to meet us.
“Well then, take care while I’m gone.”
“Okay. Don’t worry and have a safe trip.”
I headed up to the roof of the accommodation to soar into the sky.
Jema took off first, and suddenly Revelin began to remove his shirt.
“Why the clothes?”
“If my wings tear them, it won’t be good.”
Revelin was wearing a special blouse underneath, which was cut in a way that exposed his back completely.
Flap!
With the sound of a heavy blanket being shaken, Revelin’s wings spread out vigorously to either side.
When combined, both wings were slightly larger than an adult man.
“Your wings are really large.”
“They’re too large and only uncomfortable.”
Revelin started hopping in place while vigorously flapping his wings.
The large wings seemed to require a preparatory stance before takeoff.
After jumping high a few times, Revelin soared into the air.
“Um, what about me?”
Melorna looked at me with a worried expression.
“I’ll carry you.”
I lifted Melorna into my arms.
She felt weightless, as light as a feather.
“Shall we go then?”
The teleport device near Harfen is located in the eastern area.
Since Melorna knows the geography around here well, I flew at the front under her guidance.
We left the skies over Harfen and moved east, landing deep in the forest.
“There’s a teleport facility here.”
The direction Melorna pointed to was a small cave in the woods.
“Come to think of it, all teleport facilities are located away from cities, aren’t they?”
“They’re quite important facilities. They also serve as escape routes for royalty in emergencies. And they’re expensive, so ordinary citizens hardly use them, so they don’t complain about their locations.”
Revelin answered my question.
Entering the cave, the interior was pitch dark.
“Light.”
As Jema lightly illuminated, I could see stairs going down.
“It’s quite well hidden.”
At the bottom of the stairs was a thick iron door, firmly shut.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Knocking on the iron door, a voice came from inside.
“Who is it?”
Ahem. “I am Ririan, the captain of the Second Knight Order. We need to use the teleport.”
I intentionally left out the word “temporary.”
Click.
The iron door opened, and a person holding a sword appeared.
