The only sound echoing in the village of the snowfield was the crackling of fire.
The knight was silently staring at me. He was a man with a blood-soaked face and an impressive mouth that drew a fierce line.
Looking back, he was always like that.
He was belligerent, hated elves, and showed no hesitation towards violence.
Thus, it was no surprise to see him like this now.
Sir Alex was always consistent.
Just look at Pope Eyong, who was thrown down, covered in blood. In a previous battle against the elf scout team, Sir Alex had turned one elf into a pulp.
The situation was the same as it was then.
The only thing that had changed was me.
I had felt nothing when taking down the scout team, but seeing Pope Eyong suffer made my heart surge with anger. It was a disconcerting transformation even for me.
I could not expect Sir Alex to understand my feelings.
Still, I decided to persuade him first.
“Sir Alex, what are you doing now… The elves in this village have never attacked humans. Since when has humanity taken the initiative against elves?”
“Hah, I heard you lost your memory… but you don’t look like it.”
However, despite my counterargument, Sir Alex’s voice was utterly relaxed.
His hand slowly reached for the sword strapped to his back. Then, with a thud, the ground was struck.
For a moment, I felt as if the ground was shaking.
A suffocating scream escaped among the elves. With a single gesture, they shrank back, trembling in fear.
It was the skill of a seasoned knight.
Even though it was nothing more than a casual gesture for him, the weaker ones had to be gripped by terror.
A chilling whimper was particularly unpleasant. I struggled to calm my throbbing heart.
Sir Alex, standing with his sword thrust into the ground, leisurely opened his mouth.
“That’s right, young lord. We humanity never takes the initiative against elves. We merely carry out ‘preemptive strikes.’”
“What do you mean by preemptive strikes?”
It was a statement that seemed aimed at exonerating himself.
I found it so outrageous that I couldn’t help but frown slightly.
Yet Sir Alex wore a face of confidence, as if he were stating the obvious. The knight added more explanation.
“After all, all elves are potential threats. So we cut them down before it is too late. Otherwise, would we only draw our swords after they have slaughtered our neighbors?”
“Isn’t that a rash conclusion…!”
Gritting my teeth, I spoke.
“Are they really going to raid us? By what means… when they can’t even leave the coniferous forest, struggling to find their next meal?”
“Nothing is impossible.”
“If that’s the case, then we should kill all the elves.”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
His answer was without hesitation.
Those six syllables each carried the pungent smell of blood. Still, Sir Alex merely clucked his tongue and regarded me with pitying eyes.
It was the gaze of someone looking at a child far younger than himself.
Overwhelmed, I was about to argue.
Right before that moment, if only Sir Alex hadn’t started digging into my buried past.
“Young lord, do you still not understand? Elves are nothing but demons wrapped in beautiful shells. Have you already forgotten what that cheap sympathy has wrought?”
In an instant, my breath hitched.
Memories of the day I fell into the elf village resurfaced.
I had once saved elves. They were the lives of the elf scout team, including Benedetta.
At that time, Sir Alex had wanted to kill them. Though they survived due to my opposition, Benedetta had been fitted with a tracking device.
That blunder led to a battle.
It was a nighttime ambush. Not only elves but several soldiers of the Urjina Army must have been wounded or killed as well.
That price for their lives was mine to bear.
As my voice failed me, Sir Alex let out a low sigh.
The knight’s heavy voice continued.
“Young lord, do not forget… you are human.”
It was a valid point.
Against the backdrop of the elves’ pleading gazes, the knight sat coldly, like the frost of dawn. His tongue unleashed a burst of frigid contempt.
“They’re not elves… Can you abandon all your family, friends, and acquaintances?”
I bit my lip.
Yet I could find no answer that arose.
I wanted to save the elves.
But could I cast away my precious ones for that?
My family, my comrades, everyone I had loved and cared for.
Choosing the elves meant that.
It meant turning my back on humanity and enduring the shame of being considered a traitor to my kind.
It was too harsh a price to pay for saving elves I had only known for a few weeks.
I couldn’t hide my resentful gaze, but ultimately no counterargument returned from me.
Only then did Sir Alex smile with satisfaction.
His thick-gloved hand signaled. At that moment, the soldiers resumed their actions in an orderly manner.
Releasing a sigh, I looked up at the sky.
Damn it.
“Stop, no… help me!”
Who was that call to?
Even with my eyes closed, the screams were vivid. The heat burning my skin, the clanking of armor, and even the mocking laughter.
One soldier burst out laughing.
“What, help you? Hahaha! How dare! Tsk, an elf like you… are you crazy?”
With a thud, came the sound of kicks.
Just hearing the groans, I knew it was Ishya.
The young hunter of the village, who always seemed fussy yet could not hide her gentle nature.
Now that woman had to endure violence without even being able to fight back.
Her bow had long since broken, and her arms and legs were restrained.
The soldier’s panting voice echoed.
“Do you know who that person is? Someone incomparable to you elves holed up in the countryside! Have you heard of him, ‘Ian Fercurus’…?”
“Enough.”
It was a low command.
That single word, tossed out with a sigh, was too small to reach the soldier.
Instead, the soldier even grabbed Ishya’s hair. In his forcibly lifted gaze, despair dripped like water droplets.
“Have you heard? He shattered mana and monsters alike with just an axe! He is the rising deity of humanity! I’ve heard that his title is already confirmed…!”
“Enough!”
At my shout, the soldier flinched and trembled.
Finally, my eyes fixed on something. On Ishya, who was on the ground and coughing.
Through clenched teeth, I uttered a word.
“…let’s stop.”
No further instructions were needed.
The soldier immediately bent over, as if he realized he had been rude. And he began to carry Ishya away.
I nearly added that he should treat elves a bit more kindly but held my tongue.
It would have been a cheap hypocrisy.
In the end, the conclusion I had reached was this.
I was, helplessly, human. How could I betray my own kind and continue to live?
In the first place, friendship between humans and elves had been impossible.
It was a realization that probably was not mine alone.
Before long, the gazes of the elves directed at me quieted down.
Only feelings of disappointment and despair, understanding and sympathy alternated in communicating to me.
I could see unfamiliar emotions flickering in their eyes. Even the soldiers of the Urjina Army seemed surprised to express respect towards me.
It was as though a high and rugged barrier lay between me and the elves.
My hand unconsciously fidgeted with my hand axe. I wanted to finish the conversation at the point of taking the elves captive.
Until I met someone’s eyes.
An elf with gray hair. Those blue eyes gazed at me blankly.
Abiyang.
Sudden memories surfaced.
The little boy who had died protecting his younger sister, Ned, had left me with his last words.
That a good knight didn’t lie.
I had promised to protect them, yet—
Thud, a small shock struck the dam of my mind.
Like a pebble thrown, a faint ripple spread out. Yet, within that tremor, a chain reaction of thought occurred. It was an extremely simple association process.
Gray hair, blue eyes.
Ceria.
Yuridina.
Senior Delphine.
Why, am I.
Unintentionally, a broken question slipped out.
“…Senior Delphine.”
Sir Alex, who had been adjusting his gauntlet, turned his gaze towards me.
In that unwavering gaze, a strong conviction was found. An attitude as if to show there was not a trace of shame.
So I had never dared to ask.
“Does Senior Delphine know?”
Sir Alex’s movements abruptly halted.
Once again, a desolate wind blew between us. The cold north wind struggled to burrow into the bones. Yet the seasoned knight showed not the slightest sign of movement.
“Young lord.”
Only exhaling a confined breath, Sir Alex’s expression turned serious.
“I will tell you later.”
With that, Sir Alex turned his back.
Once more, his hand drew near to the elves as he grasped the hilt of his sword. The knight’s voice rose as high as the fear that filled the elves’ eyes.
“We will now commence the execution! The charges are for daring to covet human territory and slaughter our families and neighbors!”
“We, we did not do that!”
The elves screamed and pleaded, but there was no one to listen.
The soldiers glared at the elves, each gripping their weapons tightly. Once that sword and spear were hurled, blood would bloom on the snowfield.
It seemed Sir Alex was eager to witness that scene.
A kind of madness could even be felt in his shouting voice.
“Kill them all, make them beast food!”
“Yes!”
With a thunderous reply, just as one soldier was about to thrust forth his spear.
Strength entered the hand gripping my hand axe.
Bang, the world tore apart.
The falling snowflakes that were scattering seemed crushed. The silver trajectory, shot without a sign, struck the spear’s shaft straight.
With a sound like an explosion, the wooden spear shattered.
The soldier staggered backward, producing a gasp in surprise. It wasn’t just him that halted.
Everyone’s movements froze.
It was as if the north wind had stolen away all their momentum. The only thing still moving there was the axe spinning tautly in the air.
As I raised my hand, the axe returned with a thud.
I no longer wanted to hesitate.
“Everyone step away from the elves… not even a single hair should be touched.”
At my growling warning, Sir Alex chuckled.
His laughter echoed, reflecting his feelings.
He shook his head once more in denial.
“You’re still being soft, young lord. I’ve told you time and again that you shouldn’t… I’m sorry, but I must refuse your request.”
Sir Alex then signaled to continue.
At that, the soldiers hesitated and slowly began to approach the elves again.
It was then that my body shot forth.
Smack, I slammed into the ground, my body thrown at high speed. I felt my hand brush the hilt of the sword strapped to my waist.
An explosive draw.
An unexpected strike that defied any sort of response; had the opponent been a mere commoner, this strike would have already decided the match.
However, the opponent was a seasoned warrior.
Thud, the knight’s sword met mine with a heavy clash, tearing through time. The sword that came down pressed heavily against my blade.
There was almost no delay in turning, dragging my sword down anew.
Yet it would be impossible to remain unaffected.
My foot struck Sir Alex’s solar plexus.
It was not a lethal hit due to his armor, but it was enough to make him stagger backward. Even then, my remaining hand still clutched the hand axe tightly.
Once again, the silver trajectory traced a circle.
“Ugh!”
“Ugh!”
Bang, bang, the sounds erupted as the spears began to shatter one by one. Along with that, some soldiers dropped their swords after being struck by my blade.
It didn’t take a long time to incapacitate them all.
Sir Alex shouted.
“What are you doing, young lord!”
“Sir Alex…”
I sheathed the hand axe that had returned to me and said.
“This is not a request or a suggestion.”
Both hands firmly grasped the hilt of my sword. The cold draft of the blade pierced my bones. It was indeed a long-awaited tension.
A sensation that would only return when facing a formidable opponent.
“Do not touch the elves any longer. I warned you.”
Sir Alex frowned immediately, while the soldiers exchanged visibly startled and bewildered looks.
The elves, too, looked at me with blank expressions.
It was unavoidable.
A good knight does not lie.
Proving this, Abiyang exhaled a sigh of relief and closed her eyes.
Snow was falling over the village.
