It was getting close to the end of the day.
I was a little disappointed, so I tried to sleep less and train harder.
"What are you doing all those nights?
At night, Descherne stopped watching my training and giving me advice and went into his hut first.
I sensed he was doing something all night, but I ignored it, thinking it might be personal.
"Suck!"
Bang! Bam!
I even managed to use two sword winds in a row.
Of course, I was still nervous about using it in real life.
"Come to think of it, I guess Nickel used to use sword winds when he fought too.
I hadn't watched him fight too closely, trusting that he'd figure it out when the time came.
But in the back of my mind, I remember seeing not only sword winds, but also bizarre movements.
Until now, I'd assumed he was just using fluidization, but as Deshurn taught me, there were other moves that were unique to Nickel that were different from fluidization.
"That's weird.
I asked him to teach me how to use a sword, but he only taught me the basics.
Of course, it was my fault for not speaking properly, but it was hard to ask Nickel to teach me such details.
I realize it's time to get some sleep, so I tuck Galakshur away.
I waded into a nearby stream, roughly wiped off my sweat, and entered the hut.
"Are you done?"
"Yes. Let's go inside first."
"All right. Get some rest."
What is he writing?
He was sitting at a small utility desk and appeared to be scribbling something down, but I didn't pay much attention and went back to my room to get some sleep.
"Now I'll have to make the descent tomorrow or the day after to make sure I get there on time.
I wondered if I was trying to be too timely, but I was desperate for Deschern's teachings.
I still had so much to learn, especially about mana, that I was tempted to bash the academy.
"Of course, I shouldn't.
Soon, Louis and other important playable characters would be enrolled.
I had to nudge them in the right direction to prevent the world from ending.
When I was playing the game, I had quests and could follow the big picture, but now they had no reins.
"Sure, I can't control them.
But it's better than doing nothing.
Lewis, in particular, had high expectations.
After all, he'd only played as him for a year, half of his two years of gameplay, so he was bound to be attached.
It was a sleepless night as he realized he was about to meet him.
* * *
I woke up in the early morning air and stepped out of my room to find the cabin empty.
Descherne must have gone out for a while, I thought and thought about doing a quick mountain walk, but then I noticed a book lying on the doorstep.
'I wonder why he left it here....
Is he giving it to me?
As I picked it up, I saw the title, the ink barely dry.
[Mua Sword]
I can't believe this is an item display....
"A sword book?"
I held the book for a moment, trying to calm my spinning head.
But it was hard to stay calm.
No, a sword book.
The Sword Code of Swordsmanship, was written by the great Deshurn Fallon himself.
Deshurne was an old man, and he seemed to be a bit of a recluse, so I hadn't gotten a single story about him, except from Louis.
And even Lewis had never studied with Deschern.
"Is this really Deschern's sword book?
I walked around the cabin with the book, looking for Deschern, but he wasn't in the cabin.
I looked all around, even outside the house, but there was no sign of him anywhere.
I returned to the cabin and slowly opened the booklet.
"Adrias Cromwell. Forgive me for leaving you here so abruptly, for I am old enough to be ashamed of such unmanly behavior. Forgive me for leaving my feelings in writing.
Somehow, I could almost hear Deschern's laughter.
I smiled back and continued reading.
'In fact, if time and circumstances permitted, I would have liked to keep you studying under me, but that would be unreasonable, given my circumstances and yours, so I have transcribed my teachings into a booklet. Perhaps your boy will be able to figure it out on his own. Hopefully, when I see you next, your skills will be better than those in this book. P.S. Memorize everything you can and then burn it. Don't get yourself into any trouble.
That was the end of Descherne's letter.
The rest of the booklet covered the basics I'd already learned, as well as an advanced course on his swordplay.
I closed the booklet for a moment and sat still in my chair.
Being favored by someone was something I was not used to.
And once again, I was glad to be in this world.
The pressure of being the only one who knew the end of the world sometimes overwhelmed me, but even so, I had a family who believed in me, and these connections gave me a reason to live.
"So Deschurn is out of the Krathes Mountains now.
There was no reason to be here anymore.
I was timing my descent, but Deschern beat me to it.
Before I left, I took a look at Deschurne's desk and wrote him a quick note of thanks.
I'm terrible at this sort of thing, so I didn't dilly-dally, but I kept it short.
"I hope we can meet again.
-Farewell, Master.
* * *
A boy staggered along a wet road at night.
In his arms, wrapped in a purple cloth, was a long object that did not match his dwarf frame.
He purred.
How many days had he been without food?
The boy looked so forlorn, walking aimlessly.
"Hungry.
The words lost their meaning in the face of an empty stomach.
With nothing but what he carried in his arms, he wondered if he would starve to death.
"I have to keep it, but...."
His consciousness gradually faded.
Unable to bear it any longer, he leaned against a wooden post on the side of the road and passed out.
"I have to protect it, but it's just me now.
Conscious of his mortality, the boy realized that he should dig a hole and hide whatever he was carrying.
Although he was worried that he would not have the strength to dig, he had to hide something if he was going to die.
The object he had was the 'Magic Sword Rubens'.
It was something that shouldn't be seen in this world.
Until now, his tribe had risked their lives to keep it sealed for generations.
A few days ago, however, a group of monsters attacked, and only the boy was able to escape with the sword.
Determined to push himself a little harder, he decided it was better to go deeper into the forest than along the roadside.
It was then that his nostrils caught the scent of roasting meat.
A purr.
The boy walked in the direction of the smell, still clutching his magic sword.
There, he found a man roasting a whole rabbit.
It crackled.
"Ah."
The boy turned around and made eye contact with the man watching him.
He quickly backed away and tripped over his own feet.
The man stood up and approached the boy.
"Go, don't come near me!"
The boy tried his best to shout, but his voice sounded like a kitten's frightened lowering of its jaws and was not at all threatening.
But the man who had built the bonfire didn't respond to the boy's words; he simply went back to his seat, cut the meat, and beckoned.
"Do you want to eat?"
The boy's throat cleared at his words.
But he shook his head.
"Go, thank you, but I'll be going."
But it was easier said than done.
The man looked at the boy, sprinkled spices on the cut meat, and popped it into his mouth.
The boy's stomach rumbled at the sight of how delicious it was.
"Mmm."
Tears welled up in the boy's eyes as he was filled with a strange feeling.
I don't want to die. I didn't want to die in a place like this, protecting the Leader's Sword.
But he had to hide it as best he could for the sake of the villagers who had died for a noble cause.
Just then, the man grilling the meat tore off one of the rabbit's legs and rubbed it with spices that hummed and hawed.
Then he stood up and walked over to the boy.
"Go, come closer...."
"Here's some water, too."
The man set the jug of water and the rabbit leg down in front of the boy and stepped back.
The boy stared at the scene with a dumbfounded expression on his face, then picked up the meat and the bucket of water with trembling hands.
Gulp.
He took a sip of water.
Grunt.
Took a bite of meat.
"Hmph."
Tears leaked out of my eyes.
He had never tasted such delicious meat in his life.
The boy ate the meat in one gulp and drank the water.
Meanwhile, the man cut the rest of the meat in front of him.
"Eat slowly, it burns."
"Black. Thank you, thank you."
The boy continued to eat the meat, mumbling something that made it impossible to tell whether he was saying thank you or shedding tears.
* * *
"Why are you here?
I asked, trying to hide my confusion at the sudden appearance of the figure.
'Benjamin Anicius.'
The boy before me was none other than the second playable character after Lewis.
It was still before the game's start time, and he was supposed to be in Ruzin Village, a village isolated from the rest of the world.
He looked like he'd been through a lot.
Luckily, he still had his sword, Rubens.
'He was a sword master and a sword genius.
While Louis was a jack-of-all-trades, Benjamin was a genius with a special talent that was unique to him, Master of Swords, which gave him a huge compensation when it came to swords.
It is also the setting where he was able to become a master of magic swords with that trait in the first place.
"But how did he end up walking around with a magic sword like this?
The story was supposed to be about him being recognized as the master of the sword in his village and then going on a journey to find the true seal of the sword.
His main storyline was to train in the village like the other characters do at the academy until he goes on his journey, so why is he here in the middle of nowhere?
I felt sorry for him as he gulped down the meat as if he'd had a hard time.
'This reminds me of Sung-bo.
Park Sung-bo, the youngest member of the Special Forces, used to be like that after a grueling training or mission.
I gently tucked the blanket around him, thinking of nothing else.
If he was really tired, he wouldn't even realize it.
"Now, what am I going to do with him?
Let's hope for the best.
He's a kid with so much potential that he could be a second playable.
What if I just make him my side?
"It's a win-win, right?