kscans

1

Bard had acquired an ancient sword by chance, but by the time he finished breakfast, his excitement had cooled completely. The ancient sword, seen under the bright sunlight, was a crude, cheap-looking lump of metal, with a terribly dull color and the rough bumps of the blade still intact. It certainly didn’t look like a magical sword that emitted a mysterious glow last night and easily defeated demonic beasts.

He decided that it was just a dream. Perhaps it was an ancient magic sword or something like that. However, its power had been lost long ago. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be hanging unsold in the general store of a rural village.

Perhaps it had exerted its last remaining power yesterday. It had worked well, easily defeating one demonic beast and three wild beasts. Now, it was just an ordinary sword, and there was no special power to be seen.

However, as a piece of metal, it was quite sturdy, and it was much better than a stick as a means of self-defense. He liked the way it felt when he swung it, and it fit snugly around his waist. Anyway, until he obtained a proper sword in a big city, this sword would be his only reliance.

No, this sword could be surprisingly useful. Even if he bought a proper sword, it would be a waste of money. He decided to continue his journey with this sword for now.

Tonight, the villagers were having a party, and Bard was asked to stay for another night. Since he couldn’t bring his luggage, he left behind the fur and meat of the Dowava bear, which might have helped the village chief’s wife to be in a good mood. However, he took the pelt of the demonic beast with him. There was no better material for reinforcing leather armor than demonic beast fur. Moreover, it was the fur of the Dowava bear. It was difficult to process, so it wouldn’t make a beautiful armor, but if it was cut and attached to the armor, it could significantly increase its strength. When he visited a large city someday, he planned to have it tailored.

2

He should have asked for a ride on a carriage after all.

Bard began to regret his decision. When he left the village, he was asked if he wanted to be taken to the next village, but he refused. They needed as many hands as possible to repair the broken houses and fences. Moreover, many men were injured, so he couldn’t take away their help. Besides, removing the fur from the demonic beast and washing it was quite a chore.

Carrying his luggage across the mountains on foot was tough. The fatigue from fighting a demonic beast and three Dowava bears couldn’t be relieved with just two days of rest. The pain in his right shoulder and elbow was especially severe. If he had followed the Ova River north, the journey would have been much easier. He could even have hired a boat. He had the money for it.

However, even the great Ova River would become boring if he watched it for a month. The scenery of the mountains was even more varied. Even the same scenery could look completely different when viewed from the bottom of a slope than when viewed from the top. The leaves of the same tree growing on the same mountain could have a different color depending on whether they were on the south or north side. Each mountain had its own personality, and each time he crossed a pass, a different landscape awaited him. However, after carrying his pack for three days, he had no more room to enjoy the scenery.

As Bard put down his luggage and took a breath, he heard a noise from ahead. It was the sound of a battle. He ran towards it.

There he saw a man who looked like a farmer fighting a beast with a wooden spear. Nearby, a cart was tied to a horse, and a boy was sitting on it. The beast was a striped ferret. It was very excited and tried to attack the man. It was a small animal, but its claws and fangs were sharp. If it attacked his body, it would be very powerful. The man fought to protect the boy on the cart.

The man noticed Bard running toward him and said, “Hey, you! Do you have a weapon? Help me!”

Bard replied with his stance. He drew his sword and attacked the striped ferret from behind, where it was focused on the man’s spear. He struck it on the neck. At that moment, Bard thought, “This sword might not be a powerful weapon like it was four days ago.” He was right. He didn’t even cut off the little striped ferret’s head; he just made it scream. But that was enough. The injured striped ferret, realizing it couldn’t win, jumped into the bushes and ran away, making noise as it went. For striped ferrets, humans were too big a prey. If they couldn’t win, they would immediately run away. Wild animals had a strong sense of survival.

“Hey, you. Thanks for helping me out. That striped raccoon was really stubborn. This road doesn’t usually have many wild animals.”

The man was walking back to the eastern village with his son after selling vegetables when his son gave the raccoon the rest of his lunch on the side of the road. The raccoon then attacked them in an attempt to get more food. They ended up letting him stay in their house for the night.

3

The man lived with his wife and son in a house they built in the mountains where they farmed. They grew various crops for their own use, but their main crop was a vegetable called “aomaki” which was nutritious and delicious, but didn’t grow well in their soil. Nevertheless, they still grew it and sold it in the eastern and western villages. When Bard saw the vegetable, he thought it was a medicinal herb called “Egalsocia”. (t/n: aomaki – blue/green roll, turnip greens in this chapter)

“Oh yeah, a medicine man who came to town once called it that. You sure know a lot,” the man said, impressed.

Egalsocia was known to improve the function of the internal organs and had a great effect on the body when it felt unwell or tired. It also increased the body’s ability to absorb various nutrients. It was said to be a cure-all herb and was ideal because it was nutritious and had no side effects. Some groups of medicine men even made it the basis of all their treatments.

The herb was also delicious. It tasted good raw, boiled, or grilled, and its medicinal properties were not lost when cooked. When the stems were dried in the shade and the moisture was removed, the broth made from boiling them had even greater medicinal effects than eating them raw. The man and his wife were impressed when Bard told them what he had learned from an old medicine woman.

The herb had another advantage. Its scent repelled wild animals. No one knew why, but some scholars theorized that it was because its scent resembled that of ancient mythical beasts that had long since perished. If the stalks were cut into small pieces after harvesting and scattered around, wild animals would not approach. If the broth made from boiling the stems was soaked into cloaks or horse gear, there would be less chance of being attacked by wild animals while traveling.

“Wow, I see. Even though we live in the mountains, our house has never been attacked by wild animals. I finally understand why,” the man said with a laugh.

4

Bard ended up staying at their house for two nights. There was a lot of work for the man to do, and Bard’s stay was a welcome help to the family. They also boiled the stems of Egalsocia and soaked various things in the broth based on what Bard had taught them. Bard also soaked his cloak and shirt in the broth.

At night, Bard was asked to tell stories. The man wanted to hear about trade, the wife wanted to hear about history and legends, and the son wanted to hear about knights. The son seemed to want to be a knight himself. The man and his wife didn’t want to crush their son’s dream, but they wanted him to realize the recklessness of his dream. On the third day, the son went alone to the western village to sell vegetables.

“You are already ten years old. You can do this by yourself. Don’t worry. Just leave it to the horse. Don’t do anything unnecessary,” the man said. Bard was only asked to accompany the son on the way there. The western village was in the direction Bard was going. “Well, why don’t you tell my son about the wandering knight?” (t/n: previously named as knight of the flow)

The man spoke, meaning that he wanted his son to know how difficult it was to be a wandering knight.

The man saw Bard as a knight, at least in some way. This was a very positive assessment. After all, Bard had no horse and did not look like a knight. He had no followers, his clothes were dirty and shabby, and he carried a poorly made cleaver on his waist instead of a proper sword. He was not supposed to look like a knight or a nobleman at all.

However, in the case of the wandering knight, there are many self-proclaimed knights who have not received formal appointment in the frontier. Wandering knights are not trustworthy in terms of name or status. And if a peasant’s son wants to become a knight, becoming a self-proclaimed knight is the only way.

On the second night, Bard cooked dinner. It all started when the man asked if there was another way to cook the turnip greens. His wife was very interested and helped as his assistant.

They filled a pot with a lot of water and put in a lot of dried river fish to boil. When the fish was completely cooked, they took it out of the water. They sprinkled salt on the dried fish and dried it. If you bake it in a pot, it becomes a fancy side dish.

They added finely chopped turnip greens to the broth where the flavor of the dried fish had come out, and boiled it over low heat until it became thick. Then, they added the juice of the sappo.

The family had no idea that the sappo fruit growing around their house was edible. When the ripe sappo fruit is peeled, a translucent white juice comes out. This juice does not have much flavour on its own. However, if you pour it into hot water, you can make a thick and tasty soup in no time.

When they poured the sappo juice into the boiled turnip greens, the broth became milky white and frothy, and a good aroma came out. The wife, the man who had somehow come closer, and the son all shouted with delight.

They drank only the white broth first. All three of them were surprised and enjoyed it.

“Wow! This is delicious. I never thought that turnip greens could taste like this. I’m surprised. If I teach this recipe to the villagers, they’ll be happy.”

The man said this, and then the real show began.

Bard boldly put mountain vegetables and mountain bird meat into the pot. After a while, the ingredients were cooked, and Bard said, “Now, let’s take what we want and eat it freely.” They all began to take turns eating the dish. This dish was completely new to the family and they were very pleased.

“You can make this dish with different ingredients. This was a good lesson,” said the man.

Bard’s bowl was filled many times with homemade sake, and it became a fun and lively evening.

5

The cart rattled and rattled as it moved. The horse pulled the cart at its own pace, and a ten-year-old boy held the reins.

The road was winding and bumpy. When the wheels were blocked by the raised dirt or stones, the horse swayed its body skillfully, steering left and right or forward and backward to pull the cart along. The boy just walked, holding the reins so as not to get in the way.

The weather was exceptionally fine. The sunlight shining through the leaves of the trees sparkled on Bard, the boy, the horse, and the cart. The breeze was refreshing and it was a perfect day for travelling. Bard had only strapped his sword to his waist and thrown his luggage onto the cart, but he had no backache and walked lightly.

The boy never stopped asking questions. He asked about the training of knights. Gradually, the conversation turned to how to become a knight.

“Is it impossible for a farmer’s son to become a knight?”

“It is difficult.”

“Was your grandfather’s house a knight’s house?”

“He wasn’t a knight, but my father was a country warrior. He had a sword.”

This was almost a lie. Bard’s father may have been a country warrior, but he lived like a farmer. It was true that he had a sword, but Bard had never seen him use it.

“But I have heard that farmers can become knights too.”

“Yes. If a knight’s family has no heir, they can adopt a healthy and smart farmer’s child as their own and make him a knight. But that doesn’t happen very often.”

“If I go to a noble’s castle, will they teach me how to use a sword?”

“Even if you go to a castle, a peasant’s child will only be allowed to do menial work. It takes a long time to become a knight. It costs money to prepare the equipment. When you’re training, you can’t work. There are no nobles who will give food and equipment to someone who doesn’t work.”

“It takes years to train, doesn’t it?”

“Yes. It takes about seven to ten years to train properly.”

“That long?”

“Yes. During that time, you can’t feed someone who doesn’t work.”

“I work hard while I train,” said the boy.

“Everyone does that,” he replied.

The servants finish a day’s worth of work in half a day and use the rest to train. But once we become knights, he’ll have to buy horses, swords, and armor.

“Are swords expensive?” he asked.

“Very,” Bard chuckled. “Ten thousand pologales? That’s a good price. One hundred pologales is one gale, so ten thousand pologales is one hundred gales. That’s not enough. Even a bronze sword costs five thousand gales. A decent steel sword for a knight costs at least twenty thousand gales.”

“Twenty thousand gales! I don’t have that much money.”

“At least that much. And that’s just for the sword. You’ll need other equipment too.”

“Maybe a nobleman will lend me the money. I’ll work to pay it back.”

“What kind of work?”

“Um, working in the castle or fighting bad guys. That’s what knights do, right?”

“There are knights who work in the castle, but there are already people who do that. And if you become a strong knight, you can be hired, but only for battles.”

“Only for battles?”

“Yes. When nobles fight each other, when they need to defeat a large group of bandits, or when there’s a large outbreak of wild animals, they hire fighters. Knights who can’t work in the castle go there to work. And work means killing people or animals.”

“Killing people?”

“Only when there’s a battle. That’s when wandering knights are hired. When the battle is over, they have to find another job. Wandering knights live by killing people in different places.”

The boy fell silent, lost in thought. He walked with his head down, lost in contemplation.

The weather was fine, perfect for travelling. Bard’s shoulders and back didn’t hurt. But his heart ached a little.

6

“Clatter, clatter, clatter,”　the wagon continues, making noise.　The boy had been silent for a long time.　He is probably stunned by the difficulty of becoming a knight and the rigours of knighthood. It is impossible for a peasant boy to want to be a knight. But how is this different from the path Bard himself has taken?

Come to think of it, the boy must be ten years old.　Bard was also ten years old when he learned to use a sword from a wandering knight.

7

Bard’s father was a town official.　He was of some noble descent and had worked in the castle service. His mother told him that he was a knight. His father himself never said he was a knight. But he had a steel sword.　Bard have never saw him wield it, but a steel sword would be something that only a knight could rarely hold.

He was also highly educated and taught his son to read, write and calculate, as well as sharing his knowledge of history.　The villagers also relied on his father’s knowledge and judgement and consulted him on many matters. Their family lived a short distance from the village in the mountains, where they farmed and hunted. Their way of life was no different from that of the villagers, but they were considered by all to be the home of a local warrior.

One day, a stray knight arrived and took up residence in the house. As a boy, Bard wanted to be a knight, but he could not tell his father about it.　One day, he asked the wandering knight to teach him how to use the sword.

“If your father says yes, I will teach you,” the wandering knight said.　Over the next week, he persuaded his father and the sword training began.　The training was not quite what Bard had in mind.

In the mornings, he would quickly complete his assigned chores, such as chopping sacks, fetching water and so on.　Then he would go for a run in the fields and mountains.　When he returned home exhausted, he would begin his sword training.

However, he is are not allowed to hold the sword.　He can only watch the wandering knight swing his sword.　The wandering knight takes off everything except his underwear, which he wears around his waist, and strips naked.　Naked, he swings his sword.　The wandering knight had a steel sword that he swung with both hands.

“A knight has a bridle or a shield, so a knight’s sword is one-handed.　Among the martial arts a knight must master is the two-handed sword, but it is a large sword that can knock a man unconscious by striking him through his armour.　The swordsmanship I teach you is not part of the basic knightly subjects. But it is the most advanced and most applicable of all the techniques using the sword.”

As he said this, he swung his sword.　At first, he just swung it straight down from the top to the bottom.　He was told to look at it from various directions, back and forth, left and right.　He were told to look not only at the movement of the sword, but also at the hands and feet and how his muscles and sinews were moving.

He was told to burn the movement into his eyes so that he could always see the sword swinging in his mind’s eye.　The wandering knight continued for a week with only the monotonous technique of swinging from top to bottom.　The next week, he was shown only the top right down swing.　The monotonous training continued.　Swinging down from the top left.　Slashing sideways.　Cutting up diagonally from below. Thrusting.

It was a discipline that only required watching.　But he never got bored.　Not only did he not get bored, but the more he watched, the more interesting it became.　The more he watched, the more he felt he could see where the knight was breathing and where he was putting his strength.

Even similar movements can become different techniques if the power is applied in different ways.　Depending on how fast and sharp the breathing is, and how hard the step, the content of the technique will be different.　If you are distracted by the sword being swung, you cannot see it.

The technique is not in the sword that is swung, but in the person who swings it and the way he or she puts his or her mind into it.　The secret of the technique lies in the subtle shifts of weight, breath and muscle movement that are born from the way one puts one’s heart and soul into it.

The wandering knight also taught him about bows.　He made small, feeble bows for children.　The training methods were ruthless.　They aimed at fish swimming in the river.　It was impossible to hit anything.

“There are two ways to aim a weapon at a fast-moving object.　One is to anticipate the opponent’s movements and strike at the point where the opponent is moving.　The other is to attack so fast that the opponent’s movement doesn’t matter.”　The wandering knight says such things, but the speed of fish in the water is extraordinary.　It is impossible to overpower them with speed.　But even if you shoot predictably, you won’t hit them.　After all, after the arrow enters the water, it changes direction and dodges.

However, the wandering knight did hit the fish.　He did it with the same bow and arrow as Bard, so he can’t complain.　Although it was the same bow and arrow, the knight’s arrow flew very fast.　If he tried to imitate him and pulled hard, the bow would break or the string would break.

The wandering knight showed him an example, but he did not explain it.　He had to figure out for himself how to achieve that speed with the same bow and arrow.　As he tried different methods, he learned that the string is not always as tight as it should be.　It is important to use a tension that makes the most of the bow’s flexibility.

On rare occasions, he would hit the target.　If the shot didn’t go the way he wanted, the fish would make an unexpected move and he would hit it.

“You try to hit the fish with the arrow.　The fish is trying not to be hit by the arrow.　This is no way to hit it,”　said the wandering knight.

He thought, “How can the fish be trying to hit the arrow?　No, wait.　Then what does the fish think it is doing?”　He was so intent on hitting that he did not consider the fish’s intentions or comfort.

He observed the fish.　He had only been concerned with size and speed, but there are many different kinds of fish.

Fish that like to swim against the current.
Fish that like to swim with the current.
Fish with a narrow or wide range of behaviour.
Fish that like clear water and fish that like murky water.

The fishes thought they were free to swim around in the water, but this is not the case.　In particular, each species has some idea of what action it will take in case of an emergency.　Their reactions are even more limited in rivers where the water flow is rapid.　In some cases, it is possible to predict what will happen next if such a move is made where there are rocks nearby or where the speed of the current changes.

Come to think of it, the wandering knight sometimes holds his bow but doesn’t aim for a while.　Even when he takes aim, he may not aim for a while.　Even when he does aim, he sometimes waits a long time before shooting.　What is he waiting for?

Eventually, the arrow started to hit the fish.　He tried to get the fish react the way he wanted it to react and let the arrow hit it.　He looked for places and times where this was possible.　Once the arrow started hitting, it was no wonder that the fish began to get hit more and more without thinking much.

His swordsmanship training also progressed, and the wandering knight began to show him a series of techniques.　The change from swinging down to swinging up.　A change from a slash to a thrust.　When simple things were combined with each other, the changes were amazing.

“Even a single swing of the sword takes strength and time.　Don’t waste even a single swing.　Use the posture of your body and the position of the tip of the sword when you finished swinging for your next move.　Even an empty swing is not a waste if you can block the opponent’s movement or move him to a position that suits you.”

The movements shown by the wandering knight became faster and more advanced.　Most of the time he only showed his bare hands, but he showed him how to cut five things.

The first was a tree branch.
Next was a rather thick tree trunk.
Next was a bird flying over the river.
Next was a feather floating on the water.
At the end, still not sure if he saw it or not, the wandering knight said, “Now I will cut the sky” and sliced through the empty void.

Bard was now ten years old and a full year of sword training had passed.　One day, the wandering knight let him hold the sword.

He was amazed.　A sword that no one would ever let me touch.　The fact that he was allowed to hold it, and even to swing it, showed what he thought of Bard.

He swung it. He did the most elementary thing. He swung it from the top straight down. He tried to swing it the way he had burned it into his mind, but the sword was too heavy. He wobbled, but the wandering knight said,

“Hmmm.　Your legs and feet have become much stronger.　The way you move your flesh and muscles is also generally good.　At this rate, you will be able to swing the sword correctly in time.”

He was unusually complimentary.　The next day, the wandering knight was gone.　He was on the road again.

8

Bard continued his training on his own.　However, he could no longer see the wandering knight swinging his sword.　He waved a piece of wood and tried to recreate what had been burned into his mind.　He also continued his running training. One day, an event occurred that would define Bard’s life.

On his way home with a fish he had shot in the river, he heard a scream.　A man was running along the riverbank, being chased by a river bear.　River bears run slower than adult humans.　The distance was quite wide large, and he could have escaped if he had simply run away.　However, tired or in a panic, the man climbed a tree.

Tree climbing is river bear speciality.　Bard’s location is on a mountain trail higher than the riverbank.　It would take a long time to run down, and there is nothing a ten-year-old could do to get close to him in the first place.

He has a bow and arrow.　But the bow is small, and the arrow is just an arrow made by cutting the stem of an Irazae tree, sharpening the point, splitting the butt and inserting a bird feather.　It won’t hit a distant river bear, and even if it did, it would only be feel like a feather hit it.

He picked up a rock and threw it at the bear, using the string around his waist as a sling.　The first two throws missed.　The bear had just climbed up a tree and stopped moving, so he hit it with his third throw.

The bear looked at Bard.　It changed the target of its attack and came toward him. Bard gestured for the man in the tree to run away.　The bear came to the bottom of the hill.　Bard threw a dozen fish, tied to soy bamboo to the bear.　The bear began to eat the food that suddenly fell in front of him.

Bard quickly tied the string around his waist and ran away.　When he ran a little farther and looked back, he saw that the man was also running in the opposite direction.　He ended up running all the way home.

The next day, a man who claimed to be a knight of the Tercia family, the Lord of Pakula, came to Bard’s house.　The man he had saved yesterday was a servant of the lord of Pakula.　The knight, who had been talking to Bard’s father for some time, thanked Bard and gave him a gold coin as a reward before asking, “Would you like to work in the castle of your lord, Erzella Tercia?”　He asked.

The castle of the Tercia family pays well and provides good food.　Everyone in the village would like to work there.　Bard said yes.　The knight took him straight to the castle.　He lives and works there and gets one day off a month.

The work of a ten-year-old child is limited.　Bard’s job, to his surprise, was that of a peasant.　It is rare for a peasant child to be hired as a peasant.　On the third day, the head of the family, Erzella, suddenly said,

“Do you want to practice your martial arts?”

Bard said yes.

“Tomorrow you will participate in the training of the squires.”　Erzella said.

The squire’s job is to take care of the knight’s personal affairs, so there is a lot of overlap with being a farmer.　But the two are completely different.　While the peasant does not and cannot touch weapons, the squire takes care of the master’s weapons.　A peasant is an apprentice to a steward, while a squire is an apprentice to a knight.

In the House of Tercia, even those who were not expected to become knights in the future were made squires, depending on their aptitude and desire.　The idea was that they would learn how to use weapons, how to fight, and how to work as soldiers.　As a result, the soldiers of the House of Tercia are of extremely high quality.

The next day, Bard woke up early, joined his elders, fetched water, cleaned himself and then ran.　He ran in circles along the mountain roads near the castle.　There were many squires, all older than he was.　The oldest was eighteen years old.　Bard ran through the streets, never falling behind the eighteen-year-old squire.

Afterwards, he took part in a training exercise in swinging a mock sword and a wooden shield.　It was the first time he had held a shield and the first time he had swung a sword with one hand.　And until now, he had been swinging a piece of wood.

He trembled when he saw everyone swinging their mock swords with a clattering sound.　At first, his senior showed him an example. He thought that although they were swinging, they were not swinging in a way that would cut anything. He had been taught by the wandering knight that a knight’s sword should be swung and struck rather than slashed, but he thought that this sword could be swung in a slashing manner.

Strangely enough, when he held the mock sword, he had a clear picture of how he wanted to swing this sword.　But it was difficult to swing it the way he wanted to in his mind.　On the seventh day, he felt that he had finally found a solid sword line.　That night, Bard was told, “Tomorrow you will be a squire of the lord.”

In the castle of Tercia, squires take turns taking care of the knights.　Therefore, being the exclusive squire of a particular knight is a very special treatment.　Moreover, he is the exclusive squire of Erzella, the head of the family.　The jealousy of those around him became very serious.

That jealousy was halved in a few days.　Erzella’s training was too hard.　But that was exactly what Bard wanted.

When they first met, Erzella asked who had taught him the sword.　Bard replied that he had been taught by a knight who was a friend of his father’s.

“You have a good teacher.”　Bard was grateful to hear this.

At the castle in Tercia, the young man was given plenty of food so that he could grow well.　Bard’s parents had never allowed him to be deprived of food, so he was well nourished and grew up so well that it was hard to believe that he was a commoner’s child.　As his training progressed, Bard grew bigger and stronger.

9

Four years later, Bard became a squire and three years after that, a knight apprentice.　The House of Tercia was very strict about these ranks.　In the centre of the continent, it was common for a squire to suddenly become a knight’s apprentice, and once he had taken the knight’s oath, he would gain experience as a squire under a leading knight.　Of course, the years of training are shortened.

Even on the frontier, there are good practices. Many knights become apprentices to powerful knights of other families without much training, and take the oath of knighthood after completing only two or three years of formal training.
is not eligible to inherit the family, comes to the house.　The reason for this is that if they have trained as a knight in the House of Tercia, they are more likely to be adopted.　However, few of them last more than two months.

At the age of 20 – ten years after entering the castle of Tercia – Bard took the knight’s oath.　To his surprise, Erzella herself served as the leader, or pioneer.　It is customary not to swear allegiance to the leader during the oath ceremony.　Therefore, in every family, the head of the family himself does not serve as a pioneer.　He lets someone else take his place.　The new knight then takes an oath of loyalty to the head of the house.　If Erzella herself is to lead the new knight, to whom should Bard swear allegiance?

Erzella leads the way, and the oath-taking ceremony begins.　And then the moment came.

“O ye who would be knights!　To whom do you swear allegiance?”

To this question he answered, “My allegiance is to the people”.

A long time has passed since then, and Bard is now old and on his journey to death.　But the oath he swore then has not been lost.　He has given up his sword and shield to keep his oath, but…

“No, it was not so.　I had you.”　Bard patted the scabbard of the sword that hung from his waist with his left hand.　The scabbard, made from the leather of an old horse, Stavros, is quiet sturdy.　However, the feel of the leather is unmistakably powerful.　The stitching by the Gerkaast warrior Engdahl is bold and beautifully patterned.　Inside it is a reassuring partner, albeit a cleaver-like sword.

“Stavros.　Let us fight together.　Till the day I die, please take care of me.”

Bard tapped the scabbard containing the sword. He feels a strange warmth emanating from the sheath.

10

As they approached the western village, a carriage approached from behind. The village chief and his daughter were on board, accompanied by two strong young men. They were apparently returning from a trip to the eastern village. Since the cart is slow, the chief suggested that they go ahead first, but there was no place to pass each other.

“It’s not far now, just keep going.　The vegetables are something we are all looking forward to,” the chief told them to keep going. The boy glanced at the village chief’s daughter and blushed. She was also talking to him, so they must have known each other. As the village came into view, a beast attacked the chief’s carriage from behind.

“Whoa! No way. Is it a demonic beast?” a young man shouted.

By the time Bard got behind the wagon, the two young men had been knocked down, and the Coluazier (rock deer) demon beast was lunging at the horse.

“Looks like it’s your turn, Stavros.　Let’s go!”

With that, he held the scabbard with his left hand and drew his sword, which emitted a strange phosphorescent light with his right hand.

“Hmm…!　Thank goodness!”

Bard, thankful that the ancient demonic sword had exerted its last bit of spiritual power, slashed the demonic beast’s neck.　Its neck, which should not have been easily damaged by any weapon, was snapped off with a single blow and flew through the air.

Bard checked on the two young men, taking care to avoid the beast’s cramped limbs.　Fortunately, they were not seriously injured.　Relieved, he looked back and saw the sparkling eyes of a young boy.

“I knew it.　I knew it, knights are amazing!　I will definitely become a knight.　I won’t be a knight who kills people, I’ll to be a knight who kills wild beasts.　I’ll become a knight who protects everyone!”

“I am sorry.　It seems that instead of making him give up on the path to becoming a knight, I’ve stirred him up.　Sorry father-dono.　I failed to persuade him.　Come to think of it, I’m not cut out for this role.”

It’s a beautiful day as usual. He has been moving so much that his back will probably hurt in the evening. He’s feeling very tired, probably as a reaction to the physical exertion.　He never felt this way when he was younger, but he is an old man now, so there is nothing he can do about it.　But he felt good.