"Always remember, we are the descendants of heroes. We must protect the sealed sword, for it is our duty!"
Grandfather's constant lectures echoed in Benjamin's ears. And now, in his hands, he held the Magic sword Rubens.
"Aaah!"
"Stop! Stop them!"
The village was in flames. The villagers screamed in terror as blood spilled, and unfamiliar outsiders brandished their weapons.
"Benjamin! Take the sword and run!"
Someone shouted, but Benjamin stood frozen, clutching the purple cloth-wrapped Rubens.
He couldn't understand.
What was this sword? Just yesterday, the villagers had adored him, finding him cute. Why were they dying because of this insignificant blade? And why were these mercenaries killing innocent people over it?
"Found it! The sword is over there!"
At the cry of one of the mercenaries, the menacing men rushed toward Benjamin.
And the brave villagers who tried to protect him fell one by one.
"Why...?"
What was so special about this sword?
Benjamin removed the cloth wrapped around the sword and tightly grasped the hilt of the magic sword with both hands.
He couldn't escape.
He couldn't abandon the land where he was born and raised, along with the people of this village.
Shrrring.
With a faint sound, the magic sword gradually revealed itself from its scabbard.
Soon, Rubens, with its divine power, wailed.
Kiiiieeek!
A storm of magical energy erupted, and Benjamin felt a power he had never experienced before.
If he couldn't let it go, then perhaps killing all the enemies wouldn't be so bad.
Freed from its scabbard, Rubens emitted dozens of times more magic than usual, engulfing Benjamin.
Screaaam!
.
.
.
.
"Whoa."
Benjamin gasped for breath as he woke up, his eyes fluttering open.
As he looked around, he realized that it was close to noon.
Though it had been a nightmare, the deep sleep left him feeling refreshed.
"Are you awake?"
Adrias, who greeted Benjamin, handed him the water jug.
With a wary expression, Benjamin looked at Adrias but soon noticed the presence of Rubens in his arms. He accepted the water gratefully.
"T-Thank you."
Was it just ordinary water?
He had a slight suspicion but decided not to dwell on it and drank the water.
Before he knew it, the place they had stayed was tidied up, and Benjamin folded the blanket covering him and handed it to Adrias.
"Um, well..."
"To say thank you? Yes, I got it."
"Y-Yes..."
Why was this man treating him so well?
Since leaving the village, Benjamin had always been on guard and had never received such kindness before.
Was it sympathy? Pity?
Considering his current state, he couldn't help but appear pitiful.
"This is fate, so let's exchange names. I'm Adrias Cromwell."
"I'm Benjamin Anikius."
"Alright, Benjamin. I don't know what's going on, but do you have any particular destination?"
Adrias asked, and Benjamin fell into deep thought.
Since there was no predetermined destination, he wondered how to respond.
As Benjamin hesitated to answer, Adrias spoke again.
"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I was just curious. Honestly, I'm more interested in why you're wandering around like this rather than where you're going."
"Our village... was attacked by mercenaries."
After a moment of consideration, Benjamin decided it was fine to share this information.
Although Adrias didn't have the best impression, he didn't seem like a bad person either.
Upon hearing Benjamin's words, Adrias furrowed his brow and pondered, stroking his chin.
"It seems like you have nowhere to go."
"...Yes."
In the end, it was easy to deduce that the village had been attacked.
Benjamin sighed and sank into his thoughts.
'What should I do now? I brought the magic sword with me, but my family is all gone, and the village is destroyed.'
He had killed all the mercenaries who attacked the village, but it was already too late as all the villagers had been killed.
'If only I had made a decision a little faster...'
Regret stabbed at Benjamin's heart, but he remained resolute.
As a descendant of warriors and the guardian of the demonic sword, he had fulfilled his duty.
It was at that moment that Adrias approached him.
"If you have nowhere to go, would you like to accompany me for a while? It won't be of any help to you to stay in this remote place."
"Thank you, but why do you care about me?"
"I have a younger sister who is about your age. I can't just leave someone like you behind. If you don't want to, just say so."
Adrias's words made Benjamin raise his head.
As someone with the responsibility of protecting the sword, he had to survive.
He didn't know when he would receive such kindness again, so he had to seize the opportunity.
"I will accompany you. Please accept me."
"Good. For now, we'll head toward the capital of the empire. It's a convenient place to find work or settle down."
And so, an unexpected journey began.
.
.
.
.
'Mercenaries attacked the village?'
It seemed too early to inquire about the details of the village being attacked.
First, they needed to become closer and ease their guard before asking.
The fact that the future had changed meant that somewhere along the line, something had gone wrong due to my actions, but I had no clue as to where.
'The cause will be revealed gradually. For now, the problem is what to do with Benjamin.'
I had thought of making him join my side, but it had only given me a headache.
I needed to return to the academy immediately, and I didn't have time to investigate him.
'The academy?'
An idea suddenly came to mind, and it didn't seem like a bad one.
With my current status, I had enough money to clear Alven's debts and additional patents to be filed soon.
Supporting Benjamin's tuition and enrolling him in the Monas Academy, a branch of the Rodren, didn't seem like a bad idea.
Just the fact that he would be admitted to the academy would provide him with sufficient protection.
Furthermore, Benjamin's age will be 15 years old this year.
It was the perfect age to enter the three-year course at Monas Academy.
'The problem is that Monas' admission process is already over.'
I have to find a way to solve that.
For now, the goal was to somehow get Benjamin into the academy.
Due to his characteristic as the "Master of the Sword," he was a kid who grew rapidly even through training alone, but learning at the academy could potentially accelerate his growth even faster than in the game.
'Come to think of it, he's just a little kid, only 15 years old.'
He was the youngest playable character in the game.
Even so, if he had been the same age as Louis, he could have been the first in line.
Lost in thought, I walked with Benjamin, and before I knew it, I could see the town along with the darkening sky.
It was the nearest town to the Krates Mountains and a town I had passed through once when heading towards the Krates Mountains.
"If we stay overnight here, we can buy some supplies and then head to Mertheon."
I decided to subtly introduce the topic of the academy in the meantime.
As we entered the town, the atmosphere was calm, possibly due to the late hour.
However, I could sense a hidden tension in the meantime.
"It feels eerie."
Of course, it could just be my imagination, but for now, I headed towards the village chief's house, where I had been indebted to before.
As I knocked on the door, the village chief's face quickly appeared.
"W-who? Ah, it's you from last time."
The village chief invited me inside.
However, I hesitated for a moment.
'The village chief seems to be sweating coldly. His breathing is unstable, and his body is tense.'
He's nervous.
I wonder why?
As soon as the doubt crossed my mind, I immediately used Mana Detect.
As a result, I could confirm the presence of people hiding inside and the scent of danger coming from the forest next to the village.
"Damn it. We've been spotted! Kill them!"
The guys who were hiding must have sensed my Mana Detect, as they immediately sprang out from various places in the house, wielding their weapons.
"What's going on? These guys weren't here when I last visited."
Although I couldn't understand the reason, Benjamin, who had been on edge since entering the village, swiftly drew Rubens without hesitation.
'This just got troublesome.'
The presence of the Soul Sword should be kept hidden if possible, but perhaps due to previous experiences, Benjamin instinctively drew his sword.
As Benjamin unsheathed his sword, the enemies seemed to target him first and launched their attack.
However, with a powerful surge of mana, Benjamin swung his longsword.
Crack!
The enemies collapsed, their upper and lower bodies separated.
'Impressive. The Soul Sword is quite something, isn't it?'
Judging from the current situation, Benjamin, wielding the Soul Sword, would be stronger than Louis.
By the way, I've killed them all without getting any information.
I gently ruffled Benjamin's hair and approached the trembling village chief in the corner.
"What on earth happened here?"
"I-I don't know! I don't know anything!"
"I won't harm you, so explain. Otherwise, I won't help you."
At that moment, I felt numerous presences converging towards this place from outside.
Damn, there are so many. What the hell is going on?
"I don't know exactly. They just kept repeating the order to worship Lord Zepar and threatened me. Please, spare me."
The Zepar Sect?
These despicable bastards...
They might be the ones targeting Benjamin.
I should confirm it for sure, considering the incident from last time.
Kwaaang!
While I was interrogating the village chief, I heard a commotion from outside.
It seems Benjamin couldn't hold back and got into a fight.
Given that he lost everything in the hometown attack, he must be on edge.
I left the village chief and went outside first.
Then I saw Benjamin fighting against numerous enemies surrounding the house.
Swoosh!
The opponent was quite leisurely in dealing with Benjamin.
In contrast, I could see that Benjamin had taken several hits, as his lips were split.
"Maximus Bandam, a subordinate officer of the Zepar Sect."
Although he was a subordinate, his strength surpassed that of an ordinary criminal.
Even if Benjamin had the Soul Sword Rubens, it was evident that Maximus' experience and skill were an insurmountable barrier.
At that moment, Maximus, who noticed my presence, turned to look at me.
"So the protagonist is here! You must be Adrias Cromwell, right?"
Even in the midst of the fight, he shifted his gaze towards me and spoke, indicating a significant difference in our abilities.
Since he even knew my name, it was clear that he had come to find me.
"What's this kid? A bodyguard? In any case, let's make a deal."
"A deal?"
Clang!
Whoosh!
"Ugh."
While he was talking, Maximus effortlessly blocked Benjamin's attack and kicked him away, nodding his head.
"If you promise to tell me who stopped the sacrifice at the academy without causing me pain, I will let you go. You wouldn't have killed Payat, so there must have been a third party involved."
So, that was his objective.
Listening to his words, I understood why he had sent only a lower-ranking officer.
"I underestimated you."
Ironically, that's good.
I drew Galakshur.
"Huh? What are you trying to do now? Adrian Cromwell, aren't you a magician?"
No matter what Maximus babbled, I walked slowly towards him.
'"It's time to put to use what I recently learned.'
And when the distance between Maximus and me was about three meters, I focused and swung the mana-infused pitch-black sword.
Swoosh!
Thud!
With a sound, silence fell.
In an instant, Maximus' head disappeared, bursting into a fountain of blood, and his body fell forward.
'This can't be true...'
I could hear someone mumbling.
The shockwave of mana-infused sword wind slowly filled the surroundings with awe.