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CHAPTER 6 FYUZARION – Episode 7 The Tale of King Jean (Part 1)

CHAPTER 6 FYUZARION – Episode 7 The Tale of King Jean (Part 1)

1

After the wedding ceremony ended, the guests had left and the aftermath was tidied up, a figure arrived. Knight Heridan Gato. A man who was a knight of the Vodres Marquis family. Under the mad orders born of jealousy from Marie Scala, a lady of the Vodres family who became the queen consort, he had attempted to kill Doriatessa. He hadn’t come knowing Doriatessa was in this remote frontier village; rather, after the incident, he had left the country and wandered the frontiers, happening upon this place by chance. He wasn’t the type to lie, so his words could be trusted. Knight Heridan knelt before Doriatessa and apologized. Doriatessa forgave him and commanded him to serve as a knight of Fyuzarion henceforth. Knight Heridan accepted this command. Thus, Fyuzarion gained a powerful new ally.

Heridan had brought along a young man he met in the frontier, whom he was raising with the intention of making a knight. When Bard heard the young man’s name, it was as if lightning struck him.

Taranka.

That was the young man’s name. It was a name that had appeared in a strange dream once. A middle-aged knight named Quinta had spoken to someone he called the great leader, saying that Taranka was already making preparations. Could it be that this was an event that would actually happen far in the future?

The youth named Taranka was said to be sixteen. Well-trained, he seemed much more mature than his age.

With the addition of Heridan and Taranka, Bard felt a great relief. Recently, the growth of Quinta and Seto had been remarkable. In the span of a year and a half, they had shown the mental and physical growth equivalent to three or four years of a normal youth. It was as if a young sprout, which had emerged in a dry, nutrient-poor wilderness, had suddenly grown rapidly with the arrival of rain. Their manner of speaking had also changed recently. Bard had thought Quinta was about ten years old, but he was probably a bit older. Maybe thirteen or fourteen. Seto was about ten.

Quinta had become much like a disciple of Karz, receiving daily sword training. Then Taranka arrived. Taranka also began to learn the sword from Karz. According to Karz, Taranka had a natural talent for defense, and if he aimed for a defensive style, he could become a peerless swordsman. Quinta was a balanced, all-rounder swordsman, more suited to the shield and knight’s sword than to the rapier. Seto also had more than average talent with the sword, but he was two or three steps behind Taranka and Quinta.

Bard suggested to Quinta that he might learn the sword from Knight Heridan, but Quinta insisted on learning from Karz. Since Quinta was so determined, Karz also put more effort into teaching him. Doriatessa was angry, saying that Karz had never taught her so kindly.

At this point, Bard made up his mind. After consulting with Jurchaga and Doriatessa, he ordered Quinta to aim to become a knight and to serve as Karz’s squire. Perhaps the dream of Quinta becoming a middle-aged knight had pushed Bard. Technically, it was Jurchaga, the village chief and head of the Orgazard family, who gave the order, but everyone knew whose will it was. Quinta accepted the command with joy. Bard also advised that since Karz disliked explaining, Quinta should seek guidance from Knight Heridan on any points of knightly conduct he didn’t understand. Quinta seemed to understand this point and nodded seriously. There was much to learn in knightly training. Not just etiquette, but also reading and writing letters and ledgers, basic arithmetic and accounting for management, handling various weapons and horses, and learning about marching through hunting. At the very least, he must know the history of each country. Furthermore, he would learn about organizing an army and how to use squires. Since Knight Heridan was a knight from the great nation of Goriora, he would know much more about the formal knightly curriculum and have a wealth of knowledge. Quinta and Taranka could become knights too valuable for the frontier.

Bard’s prediction was correct. Knight Heridan had felt like he had found a gem in the mud when he discovered Taranka, but Quinta’s potential was no less. The joy of guiding these two talented youths was immense. Knight Heridan devoted his soul to teaching the young men, and their growth beyond his expectations filled him with emotion.

The village was nearly self-sufficient now. It would be a long time before they could produce their own cloth, and they might never be able to produce iron on their own. However, such items were not frequently purchased. Since Arflaburne and others had left more gifts than could be used, there was no immediate worry. Egalsocia had already begun to be sold as its specialty products. Known for its excellence both as a medicinal herb and a food, and with the property of repelling wild beasts when its juice is sprinkled, it was an unparalleled product. Moreover, it couldn’t be produced in large quantities anywhere else. Transportation was the biggest issue, but Jurchaga was confident, saying that soon Bovard and the great lords of Yadbalurg would send carriages here to buy it.

Fyuzarion was on the path to significant development.

2

With the ranks filled and some breathing room, Bard had been deep in thought lately. About the demonic beast. What exactly is a demonic beast? There is a stone that can create demonic beasts, he had heard from the Queen of Manuno. Also, there is a stone that can control demonic beasts, which he had seen in the dwelling place of the Jameen.

Bard had spent years fighting demonic beasts, considering it his mission to kill them. While desperately fulfilling this mission, he harbored doubts in his heart. They say demonic beast, but it’s just ordinary beasts transformed by some effect. Why do they become demonic beasts? Why do such things as demonic beasts even exist in this world?

Once transformed into a demonic beast, he had thought they could never return to their original form, as he had been taught. But. Was the light that overflowed from the ancient sword at the end of the great battle only meant to release the demonic beasts from Queen Manuno’s curse? He wasn’t sure, but perhaps it had also turned the demonic beasts back into mere beasts.

He didn’t know. He didn’t know if thinking about it would change anything. But for some reason, he couldn’t stop thinking about it.

Then there was the matter of the existence targeting Bard, or rather the ancient sword, from a place not of this world. That existence, no matter where Bard went, knew his location, the Queen of Manuno had said. Would he have to fight that existence eventually? Who was that existence? What was their aim?

3

“You’ve been deep in thought lately. What’s troubling you?”

Zariya asked. Perhaps this wise old woman could teach him something. Bard, prefacing that it was a long story, shared his experiences and thoughts. After he finished, Zariya was silent for a while before finally speaking.

“Well, I’m surprised. I had realized that sword wasn’t just any sword, and that bracelet wasn’t just any bracelet. But to think it was a sword inhabited by a great spirit and Yana’s bracelet…”

Bard asked if she knew anything about the ancient sword and the bracelet. However, Zariya replied that she only knew rumors about those two items and had nothing substantial to teach. However, she said there was much to discuss regarding demonic beasts.

“Where to start… I never thought I’d be telling this story. Oh yes. I’ve told you about how I was accused of being a witch and nearly burned at the stake, haven’t I?”

He had heard that story before. Zariya’s mother had settled in a village during her travels and helped the villagers as a healer for many years. Zariya had followed in her footsteps, but when there was only enough medicine for one during an epidemic, she was viewed with suspicion by a villager who had lost his family and was eventually called a witch. The reward for years of service to the village was being tied to a pillar of her house and set on fire from the outside.

“After my mother died, I was alone. But I wasn’t truly alone. A spirit, a Murik, was with me. It seems it had been friends with my mother since her youth. After my mother died, it stayed with me. No one else could see or hear it, though. When I was about to die in the fire, the spirit asked me, ‘Do you not want to die?’ I was foolish. I answered that I didn’t want to die.”

Why would that be foolish? And could a spirit really have the power to save someone from such a situation?

“What do you think the Murik (spirit) did? It entered me. I was consumed by it. Spirits aren’t originally from this world. They only appear in this world a little bit, with most of their body and power not being in this world. But by entering a human and becoming part of that human, a spirit can exert its power. It gave me great strength. I tore off my bindings and walked out of the flames. My hair, clothes, and skin were burned, but I could heal them almost instantly. Ah, well, I couldn’t fix my clothes, and it took quite a while for my hair to return to normal. The villagers screamed and ran away. I had become a real witch. But my life was saved. I wanted to thank it, but no matter how much I called, the spirit didn’t answer. It couldn’t. After being consumed by me, the spirit had disappeared. In exchange for my life, I had lost my only true friend. Nearly two hundred years have passed since then. You saw me manipulating fire before, right? That was my youthful appearance. When I use the power of the Murik (spirit) strongly, I become like that. Probably because my aged body couldn’t withstand it, I revert to the appearance when I had the most vitality.”

It was an astonishing story. Normally, one would be skeptical. But Bard felt that every word was the truth. It matched everything he had seen and heard so far.

“Now, the real story begins. The spirit that entered me was consumed and disappeared. But I inherited the memories it had accumulated over hundreds of years. The story I’m about to tell you is not only about the spirit but also about demonic beasts, and not just that. It’s about what has happened since humans came to this world. The tale of the great King Jean.”