Guildford’s momentum with the sword was ominous. It was no different from a weapon that was already complete in itself.
I had successfully rescued the Lady Virgin Saint by taking advantage of the element of surprise, but from that point on, I couldn’t guarantee the outcome. A bead of cold sweat trickled down my forehead as I glared at Guildford.
There were no openings. He looked like someone caught off guard with his wrist struck by an axe, yet the speed at which his posture and breathing were adjusted was on a different level.
The Academy students I had faced so far felt like mere novices in comparison.
This was the power of experience.
In terms of skill, the level of the Academy students was significantly high, but there was a reason to distinguish them as “students.”
They were still just immature grains.
No matter how outstanding one’s skill, if they lack experience, they cannot adapt to the various variables of reality. The fact that they are made to undergo practical training throughout their fourth year should be understood in this context.
Among the few I had faced, Delphine and Elsi were the ones with the most real-world experience. However, even they could not measure up to Guildford, who had decades of experience.
Guildford’s face was grim.
After staring at me for a while, he sighed deeply and pleaded.
“Lord I-an, could you not ignore this just this once? If these orphans leave this place, they will have nowhere to go. They would become street urchins or be exploited to death by a terrible orphanage director.”
“I see.”
In truth, I didn’t know much about the reality of orphans. It could be that I never had the opportunity to care about it.
The feelings I had harbored towards the orphans before were only pity at best. It was a lazy perspective if anything. Understanding the pain of the weak wasn’t something that could be accomplished with a shallow thought.
Guildford’s words were likely true.
The orphanages on the continent were already at capacity. There was no place that could take in hundreds of orphans. Even if there were, the chances of it being a decent place were slim.
The majority of the hundreds would likely die or have their lives exploited; Guildford was simply trying his best.
Still, I couldn’t forgive him.
“…Let’s settle the rest with swords.”
As I strapped the axe to my waist, I drew my sword.
The blade was aimed at Guildford. He looked down at his blood-soaked wrist with a troubled expression, helpless as if accepting his fate.
It was a simple logic.
No matter how precious the lives of hundreds of orphans were, they could not endanger thousands or tens of thousands of lives. It could be a matter that would put the entire continent in danger.
Guildford might value the children of the orphanage above all, but I did not.
His choice would ultimately lead to the production of countless orphans.
At least according to the future I had seen, it would. To prevent that unfortunate conclusion, I raised my sword.
The old swordsman’s eyes met mine. Guildford’s wrist had already healed. Mages seemed to have an abnormal recovery ability regardless.
As I aimed the sword with a sense of tragic beauty, I heard a whisper behind me.
“Wha—‘Our Holy Power pouch’… Are you insane?!”
It was the Lady Virgin Saint. The feeling of immersion immediately broke, and I couldn’t help but frown.
“Do holy power pouches talk now?”
The moment my retort came, the Saint’s light pink eyes instantly turned cold.
Her fingers twitched, likely wanting to pinch me. However, in a situation like this, where even the smallest opening could mean life or death, that was impossible.
Receiving the Saint’s indignant glare, I let out a light laugh. Then I whispered.
“Just hurry and run away.”
“…Can you handle this alone?”
“Of course, after using holy power.”
As if she expected that, the Saint made a sulky expression. However, it couldn’t be helped.
I had been utterly outmatched by Guildford during training as well. Even though I could utilize various skills now compared to then, if my fundamentals were lacking, it would be a disadvantage the longer the battle dragged on.
Then there was no choice but to compensate with other factors.
The Lady Virgin Saint began to recite a prayer, and soon warm rays of light seeped into my body.
A shield of faith, a strengthening spell that not only enhanced strength and agility but also could deflect fatal blows a few times.
It was a high-level magic resembling a compilation of holy magic, but the fact that she could cast it with just a few words of prayer proved her status as a Saint.
“…Then, be careful.”
The Saint whispered sweetly and left. Until that moment, Guildford had been calmly gazing at me.
He then asked quietly.
“Are you ready?”
“I think I can put up a decent fight.”
As Guildford nodded, I suddenly threw the axe with the speed of lightning. From being drawn at my waist to flying through the air, that rapid sequence of actions was so fast it wouldn’t be described adequately with just a moment.
In a very short time, the axe reached Guildford’s proximity. However, he was not one to fall easily to such a feeble surprise.
Lightning and light crossed.
Bluish aura struck the axe. Immediately, the axe veered off its trajectory, spinning in the air while I kicked the ground and launched myself.
The director’s office was cluttered with various pieces of furniture and items. Rather than evading each one individually, it was more efficient to leap and clear them all at once.
Of course, Guildford would have anticipated this as well. He made to swing his sword as if he had been waiting, but first, there was another problem he had to address.
The axe, which had been spinning in the air, was now coming down vertically.
With the trajectory flowing like a waterfall, Guildford had to swing his sword once more.
With a pathetic clang, the axe embedded itself in the wall. However, by that time, I was already on top of a table.
With all my strength, I brought the blade down directly onto Guildford’s sword.
Boom! A heavy impact echoed through the director’s office. I had the power bolstered by magic and combined with the effects of holy power.
Guildford looked somewhat surprised by the strike that even kicked up dust. His arm trembled.
Now, physically, I had the advantage. That confidence was solid. The strengthening spell the Saint had provided was that powerful.
“…Your axe handling skills are uncanny.”
“How about your sword skills?”
As our blades faced each other, Guildford and I tried to exchange banter.
But both our arms had begun to tremble long ago. It was proof that we were giving it our all. Fortunately, since I was on the table, I could put my weight behind my strikes, giving me a slight edge.
Responding to my question, Guildford smiled lightly as he replied.
“That, I guess I’ll have to wait and see.”
In the next moment, his kick struck the table I was standing on.
With a loud crack, the table shattered, and wooden splinters flew.
I leaped just before the impact, trying to minimize the shock. But in midair, my movements were limited.
I could only weight down and stab downwards at an angle. Guildford wasn’t someone who wouldn’t anticipate that.
He casually stepped aside, then swung his sword to hit my side.
Clang!
The sound of metal clashing resonated, and sparks flew. It was not the sound of flesh against steel. At last, the true power of the strengthening spell laid out by the Saint was being realized.
The shield of faith, a barrier capable of blocking one or two lethal strikes.
Even so, it could not fully negate the impact dealt by Guildford.
Gasping for breath, my body was slammed against the wall like a cannonball.
For a moment, it felt as if an earthquake had struck the director’s office. Debris fell from the ceiling.
I couldn’t catch my breath.
My chest felt tight. The muscles that had allowed me to take a hit were involuntarily contracting, declaring a strike. But there was no time to linger.
The seasoned swordsman would not let this opening go. I raised my sword vertically and pushed myself up.
A sharp clash reverberated. My posture was imperfect, but since I had the physical advantage, I was able to match him. A flurry of strikes followed.
Guildford began to slowly retreat. I had pressed against a corner and was now next to a window where sunlight poured in.
I found myself positioned around the middle of the office’s corner.
It was time to gamble.
My vision diagrammed the space. As the intricate lines of the space were recognized, I twisted the lines.
Guildford’s sword path grazed past me with a strange curve. His eyes widened in alarm. Just a moment was all that separated me from the next strike.
With all my might, I launched a powerful diagonal slash.
Boom! An explosion erupted. Guildford barely managed to defend his side but could not avoid being pushed back, staggering to the window.
As I considered pushing forward, my gaze landed on Guildford, who had been pressed against the wall.
I abandoned the follow-up attack and leaped to pick up the axe that had fallen in the corner. Guildford was watching me closely.
It didn’t feel right. If I had gone for a follow-up attack then, I might have fallen into some trap.
So I threw the axe.
The axe shot straight and hit Guildford’s sword, sending it flying into the air. However, as the old man staggered and deflected the axe, it swiftly returned to my hand.
Then, the throwing continued once more.
Throw, deflect, throw.
During the two attempts, Guildford had no time to regain his balance. Therefore, as the distance between us closed, my axe described yet another trajectory.
Instead of returning to my hand, the axe launched a second surprise attack on Guildford.
“Ghh!”
Guildford seemed unable to anticipate the path of the axe, groaning as he barely swung his sword. However, that cost him his balance.
It was then that my sword struck his side in quick succession.
Bang! Bang! Bang! A shockwave as loud as an explosion grew, pushing Guildford back. Like a woodcutter pounding wood, I brought down my sword wildly against Guildford’s blade with all my strength.
When I had previously lacked magic, I remembered being struck down in the same manner by Ceria. So I knew well.
How difficult it is to endure a series of blows like this purely through force.
Staggering, collapsing, eventually crashing against the wall and causing cracks, before finally, with a shattered window, Guildford’s body was sent flying into the air.
It was an open area outside. I picked up the axe that had fallen on the ground and threw it out the window, immediately jumping over the frame in pursuit of Guildford.
However, the moment I confronted Guildford outside the director’s office, I found myself unable to utter a word.
Guildford had already staggered to the center of the open area, and embedded in his neck was the axe.
It should’ve been an instant death. However, that strong body showed no signs of collapsing.
In silence, I raised my hand.
The axe lodged in Guildford’s neck returned to me. I had become quite accustomed to the delicate balance of movement.
The old swordsman gazed up at the sky without saying a word. Despite the sun shining brightly, he didn’t move an inch.
Slowly, he parted his lips.
“…It happened long ago. I was starving for what felt like days after collapsing in a disaster, and then I closed my eyes.”
“I’ve heard you mention it before.”
Guildford chuckled weakly. His gaze swept along the ground.
Or perhaps he was recalling a memory even farther back.
“Do you know, Lord I-an? They come to you when you are at your most weak and pitiful.”
Before I could question what he meant, it happened all at once.
With a loud shout, the sounds of clashing weapons erupted. The children’s screams reached an ear-ringing pitch.
That meant the battle had begun.
I turned around in panic.
The foes were countless monsters, numbering in the hundreds, no matter how many hands I had, it wouldn’t be enough. I had to return quickly.
My teeth clenched instinctively. Unlike before, I glared at Guildford with a vivid animosity.
“…What have you done?”
“I simply did it the mage’s way.”
I hesitated for a moment.
Now that the front lines had formed, there was little chance of reinforcements arriving. I had even told Reto to keep Guildford’s identity a secret.
The Saint might have gone to share information with Yulen, but if monsters were congregating like this, the probability of them having time to send help was low.
That said, I doubted they could hold out long without me there. There were Delphine and Elsi, but in terms of practical combat, I was irreplaceable.
I had to get back soon. As I thought this, my eyes met Guildford’s.
In an instant, the world dimmed.
It was an intense magical atmosphere. The concentrated essence of magic rose like clouds, distorting reality as it spread out. Following with a chilling sound, creaking and cracking echoed.
Guildford’s eyes burned bluish.
“The night I collapsed in that disaster, I… I encountered a vampire.”
Crack, snap, snap.
With each sound of bones and joints twisting, Guildford groaned in pain, his body twisting in agony. With each moment, his frame steadily grew larger.
His old clothes tore away. Muscles bulged, and brown fur began to sprout.
“At that time… Haa, at that time, I made a contract. For that power, I…”
“…What did you sacrifice?”
I asked, filled with a vague fear before he transformed into a monster.
The contract to become a mage wasn’t simple. You could gain otherworldly power, but you had to sacrifice something.
A sinister chuckle escaped Guildford’s lips.
“Humanity.”
I nervously glanced back behind me, but no matter how I looked, it seemed there was no escaping Guildford now.
Finally, I strapped the axe back to my waist and pointed my sword towards Guildford.
“He brought me the corpses of my comrades. To sate my hunger… and I did just that. And how refreshing it was.”
Suddenly, Guildford’s arm extended. A long arm reaching down to his knees.
His sword was already rolling on the ground. It was no longer needed.
There was no longer a Guildford. Only a gigantic monster stared at me with glowing blue pupils.
It was the leader of the monsters that had pierced my abdomen.
“Don’t worry too much about your comrades, young lord. If I take you down, they will all escape.”
“…Couldn’t you pass that message to them?”
“That’s not possible.”
And the monster raised its arm. From it extended long claws.
The monster grinned grotesquely. It was a smile I had seen countless times while facing the monkey monsters.
“Fair and square, it’s one-on-one.”
Under the sun, the mage finally revealed its form.
The wound on its neck had long since vanished. Feeling a sense of foreboding from its regeneration, I braced myself.
Somehow, this seemed like a bad situation.
Cold sweat dripped down my back, thinking how I had foolishly boasted to Reto.
