Chapter 23. The Song of the Boy Knight

Puk!

I pierced the corpse’s flesh, split its muscle, and stabbed its bone. I had expected it, but the necromancer’s reaction was fast.

“You rat-like bastard. You hid well.”

The necromancer, with his eyes wide open, gripped his dagger. And he stabbed the back of the head of the corpse he had used as a shield.

“Kkueeeek!”

An indescribable sound burst from the corpse’s mouth. Green light shot out from its eyes.

‘Damn it! He was a 3rd Circle?’

What the guy cast was Corpse Berserker, a skill usable only by necromancers of the 3rd Circle or higher. I knew he wasn’t just some average guy, but a 3rd Circle was beyond my expectations. Since that guy wasn't Chris, he wasn't going to go easy on me. The very thought of controlling my strength to a non-lethal level had become arrogant.

“Catch him so he can’t escape!”

The other corpses began to stick to me. The berserk corpse tightly gripped the sword that had pierced its heart.

“Fill your hungry bellies!”

Following the necromancer’s command, the corpses opened their maws. Moving according to the command of a 3rd Circle necromancer meant they possessed the power of at least the 1st Circle.

‘Damn it.’

I bit my lip. There was no ordinary way to break through them.

Thump!

I fully opened my Mana Heart. The sound of its beating echoed even in my head. The mana contained within poured out through my veins to my entire body.

The paths of mind, heart, and soul were connected by a brilliant thread of mana. With a thud! the library of the soul opened. I unfolded the record of the soul, which bore the title of Saga. I began to write what I had accomplished in the name of Maximilian Caesar.

「There is a boy.

He dreamed of being a knight.

He swung his sword.

On good days, for they were good,

On bad days, for they were bad,

Even when his palms tore and bled,

Even when his fingers swelled, making it hard to hold the sword,

He swung without rest.

The boy despised a dream that ended as a dream.

Because it was not a dream.」

It was the story of the beginning. It was faint. For that is how beginnings always are.

One cannot be great from the start. But the will must be clear. Not a splendid and grand story, but an unshakeable will must be the foundation. Because the cornerstone story that would support all future stories must be, above all, solid. For that reason, the beginning was not bad. It was filled with determination. It was seen accurately and laid down heavily.

“Haat!”

I let out a yell. A faint light emanated from the sword.

The sensation I felt while swinging the sword endlessly on that rainy day sparkled. My surroundings slowed down. I could see the raindrops falling in a round shape. I could see the path the sword had flowed. What had entered correctly and what had come through with force was clear.

‘It’s not enough.’

This was merely the prelude to stand upon the world of the Saga. I had to write the story of facing death, of surpassing myself. A story that even a nameless knight would smile upon seeing.

「The boy without achievement faced the knight who had achieved.

Countless gazes poured upon the boy.

Countless gazes shouted for the boy’s defeat.

The child with no expectations, the insolent child, the child who must be broken.

The knight swung his sword to fulfill everyone’s expectations.

At the boy’s chest,

At the boy’s neck,

At the boy’s heart,

The boy’s death is the manifestation of desire.

The knight is their blade that realizes desire.

For desire, everyone prayed.

O God of the Earth, grant me joy, even if my soul sickens, grant me gold.

The boy standing on the earth raised his sword high.

O you whose soul is sick, O you who cry out to your god with a tearing voice, O slave of desire.

I am your despair, the sword that stands against god, the light that will bring a new world.

The boy’s sword struck down the god’s sword.

The earth shook.

When the song ceased and silence came, the knight bowed his head.

The lost gazes sought the boy, they saw the achievement of the one who had refused god’s permission.

Clap your hands.

For we raise the anchor to go to the holy nation of Rumenium.

Let the boy’s sword sever desire, let it bring silence to those who sing of god.」

The record of the soul was dyed in golden light.

「The Song of the Boy Knight - Nameless」

A title was given, and its rank was decided. The soul accepted the new story. The record book closed. Golden mana raged like a storm.

‘Was it too much after all?’

It was merely a story of nameless rank, yet a pain like my muscles were being torn washed over me. The Mana Heart pounded, screaming of danger. All the mana it had contained was rapidly draining away. The sword began to burn with mana. If I were in a state to use its power fully, mana would have blazed upon the sword.

‘I’ll end this before it burns my body too!’

The necromancer’s eyes glinted.

“Do you think you can live with such a petty trick! Eat him!”

The corpses drooled yellow saliva and bit my body. The cursed mana began to melt my body. As if to whip it on, the necromancer’s Mana Circle emitted a ferocious light.

The Mana Heart, sensing the killing intent of the Mana Circle, beat fiercely. The mana burned even faster. The Mana Heart was screaming at me.

‘I understand.’

A Mana Circle that willingly becomes a slave to a god is endlessly light. It cannot handle the weight of a Mana Heart that stands against a god.

“I will prove it in this very spot!”

The golden mana swallowed my body. I became a great pillar of light.

***

A single light shot up into the pitch-black sky.

“What was that?”

Rodrigo, seeing the pillar of light, was surprised. But his surprise did not end there.

Kwwaaang!

Along with a huge explosion, an immense wind rushed over.

“Kyaa! What was that?”

“What is this?”

The wrecked carriage shook. Elliot and Michelle, who were inside, poked their heads out and looked outside.

“Mister, what’s going on?”

Elliot asked Rodrigo.

“I also don’t know what’s……”

Rodrigo’s expression, as he was speaking, became serious.

“Michelle.”

“Yes, Baron.”

“I will go to His Highness first, so you guard the carriage. You can guard it, right?”

“Ah, uh… I think I’ll be a little short on arrows, but I think I can just pull out the ones stuck in the carriage.”

“Alright, then I’m counting on you.”

Rodrigo ran towards the place where the pillar of light had risen. The ground was muddy, and tree roots caught his feet, even causing him to fall. His face became covered in mud.

Rodrigo didn't even wipe it off, nor did he get annoyed once, and just kept running. He ran while muttering that nothing must happen to Maxim.

“Your Highness!”

The Maxim that came into Rodrigo’s sight was leaning against a tree with his eyes closed. Rodrigo’s heart sank. Maxim’s clothes were torn here and there, and he had a considerable number of large and small wounds.

“Y-Your Highness.”

Rodrigo, who had approached Maxim, caressed his face with a trembling hand. He touched the wounds.

“That’s gross.”

Maxim said, opening his eyes. Fatigue dripped from his voice. Seeing this, Rodrigo let out a sigh of relief.

“Your Highness!”

“My ears hurt. Speak softly.”

“Wh-what in the world happened……”

At Rodrigo’s question, Maxim raised his hand and pointed at Bethel. Bethel was searching through something that was barely recognizable.

“What are you doing?”

“Just as you see.”

“Don’t tell me, are those the attackers?”

Maxim nodded his head.

“No, what happened? That’s not a person……”

Rodrigo stammered. Many thoughts floated in his mind, but it was because there were no suitable words.

“Ah! I found something!”

Bethel shouted, holding something in both hands.

“What did you find? By the way, what were you doing while His Highness ended up like this?”

“Pardon? No, I was……”

“Speak straight!”

Maxim grabbed the arm of Rodrigo, who was getting angry at Bethel.

“Stop it. He did his part.”

“Your Highness. Still, Your Highness’s condition is……”

“It was bad luck. But I’m alive, aren’t I.”

“What on earth happened?”

“There was a necromancer.”

Bethel said, handing the object he had found to Maxim.

“A necromancer? The kind of necromancer that revives corpses with necromancy?”

“Yes! I really almost died. The corpses were running and shooting arrows… phew.”

“If he revived corpses, he must be at least a 2nd Circle.”

“3rd Circle.”

“Pardon?”

The flustered Rodrigo breathed heavily and looked at Maxim. His face was asking how he could have defeated a 3rd Circle.

“Why?”

“You’re alive, are you not?”

“Of course I’m alive. Why? Are you disappointed that I’m alive?”

“No, sir! Absolutely not!”

Rodrigo waved both hands, reacting vehemently. Maxim let out a light snort.

“I was just lucky.”

He really was lucky. The guy knew nothing about the Saga. And he was a guy who hadn't grasped the characteristics of a necromancer. He didn't seem to know that reviving a corpse meant sharing one's own power. Or that using Berserker shared even more. It seemed he had probably never had a proper battle.

‘If he had used all his 3rd Circle power to block the Saga…’

The result would have been different.

“Even if you say you were… lucky, is that possible?”

“Exactly. I also don’t understand how Your Highness survived. He definitely said he was running away, that we had to run to live, and abandoned me……”

As Bethel chimed in, Maxim shot him a glare. Bethel swallowed his words and hung his head low. Because he was aware that he had said ‘Hey!’.

“I guess it’s one of those things where you land in a flower bed even if you fall.”

“No, but still……”

“You don’t think so?”

Maxim looked at Rodrigo and showed a deflated smile.

“I believe you. I do. But what do you think their identities are? If there was even a necromancer, they can’t be ordinary folk.”

Maxim handed Rodrigo two emblems. One was a broken pendant that looked like a bull emblem, and the other was a piece of metal whose material was the only thing identifiable.

“We’ll have to find out where that came from. If we chase after it with that, something will probably come up.”

“Yes, this……”

Rodrigo, who was looking intently at the pendant, stopped talking.

“Why? Do you have a lead?”

“This metal seems to be Us-steel, which is only found in Uresra.”

Rodrigo said, pointing to the square piece of metal of which only the material was known.

Maxim held up the metal and looked at it in the moonlight. There were several wave-like patterns on its surface.

“It means there’s something going on with the Uresra side. Then… I should ask Chris.”

“Yes, that seems like a good idea.”

“As soon as you enter the school, move to the north right away. Quietly, so people don't know.”

Rodrigo nodded at Maxim’s words.

“By the way, what about the others? How did you come alone?”

“They are on their way. I saw the strong light and thought something had happened to Your Highness, so I came ahead alone.”

“Hmm… okay. Was there any problem over there?”

“No, Michelle was a great help.”

“Right. Then it would be good to rest a bit in a nearby village. The color of the moon is unusual, so I wanted to get to Saint-Denis quickly, but it’s not easy.”

Maxim slowly exhaled. And he closed his eyes. Rodrigo was greatly surprised to see Maxim suddenly collapse.

“Your Highness!”

He grabbed Maxim and checked his pulse. It was very normal for someone who had suddenly collapsed.

“He said he was tired. He was forcing his eyes open, so I think he has fallen asleep.”

Bethel said.

“We must quickly move His Highness to a safe place. It’s dangerous here!”

Rodrigo carried Maxim on his back. Bethel picked up the pendant and metal that had fallen to the ground. Then he looked at Rodrigo. Because Rodrigo, who he thought would move quickly, was standing there blankly.

“What are you looking at so intently?”

“It’s the Demonic Moon.”

“Pardon?”

Bethel also looked up at the sky. Between the dark clouds that were sprinkling rain, a reddish moon was showing its face.

“It’s not quite yet, though. Doesn't it have to be redder than that?”

“It seems there are about fifteen days left. Still, the beasts will be affected, so let’s move quickly. You, go check if there are any remnants left in the area.”

“I already did, as Your Highness commanded.”

At Bethel’s words, Rodrigo turned his head to look at Maxim, who he was carrying.

“It truly is a series of surprising events.”

“By the way, has Your Highness often experienced such things?”

Bethel asked.

“No, this is the first time.”

“Oh? And you responded like that? You reacted immediately without any surprise, so I thought you were used to it.”

“Exactly. I’m surprised too. How he could do that……”

Rodrigo began to walk in the direction the carriage was coming from, feeling Maxim’s shallow breathing.