A worthy being shines everywhere.
"There it is! Hurry, chase after it!"
"What a troublemaker!"
And everyone was bound to covet a shining being.
"······!"
A pitch-black horse was running away under a night sky of a color similar to its own.
He handed over his duty as the leader of the group and came looking for the boy in pursuit of the memories of that day, but the greed of humans to possess a shining being was blocking his path to moving forward.
Nooses filled with ominous spells were flying towards the pitch-black horse.
On the horizon of the world where you and I meet, we become us.
A wider world would guarantee higher possibilities, but the boy who faced the death worm like him that day was not here.
Thus, the black horse had no choice but to bear all of this burden alone.
Hee-hee-hee-
Under the rising moon, the black horse's howling cry echoed.
※※※※
Beneath the sunny summer sky, a cart filled with hay was passing through the meadow.
An old man wearing a straw hat and a boy yawning beside him.
And even a young man with a long jaw driving the cart with them.
The sight of them huddled together in a small cart looked far removed from knights or swordsmen.
"How far are we going?"
"To Varna."
"But is it okay to just lie down like this?"
"They say it will come to you on its own."
The group was quietly trailing behind the northbound route heading towards Varna.
According to witnesses, the suspected ghost horse was not only swift but also always observed from afar when people rode in carriages or carts.
"He's got a definite purpose. Surely, he's no ordinary horse."
"······."
Listening to the old man's words, Vlad and Gott couldn't help but recall the events of that day.
The foggy village, the headless knight, and the ghost horse he rode.
Perhaps the ominous signs had followed them all the way to Shoara, making them feel uneasy.
"The sky's nice. The wind's blowing too."
Regardless of their concerns, Larmund seemed to be enjoying the current situation, casually nibbling on a piece of hay.
"How long has it been since you handled the aura?"
"It's been about three months. No, four months..."
"From Deomar?"
"Yes."
"Hmm."
The old man pondered, looking at the boy's back through the gap in his straw hat.
Their original purpose for coming here was to investigate the unidentified horse, but honestly, even if they didn't find it, it didn't matter much.
After all, the main reason Larmund stayed in Shoara was the boy right in front of him.
All he wanted to do was stay by Vlad's side for a few days while he searched for the horse, observe, judge, and teach him anything if he found something special.
"Three months is a bit fast."
"What do you mean?"
In response to the boy's question, Larmund took off his straw hat and met Vlad's eyes.
"Compared to when I was awakened, your aura is stronger. It's surprising that you still haven't found your own color."
"······."
As the conversation turned to aura, Vlad began to listen attentively to the old man's words.
Zayar and the voice always emphasized the basics, and they hadn't given Vlad much instruction about aura.
He had simply awakened on his own and moved forward.
"Aura is essentially a concrete manifestation of your subconscious. Not finding your color also means that your world hasn't been defined yet."
"How do I find my color?"
Larmund smiled at the boy's blue eyes.
But he shouldn't reveal too much.
Zayar must have had his own direction in mind.
"Try to reveal yourself more to the world. Don't hide too much."
"What does that mean?"
After pondering Vlad's question for a moment, Larmund spoke.
"Create a mechanism that brings out the world inside you. The knights call it the key."
"A key?"
Vlad's eyes were keenly observing the unfamiliar term.
Larmund seemed pleased to see the boy trying to pick up on his words.
"It's nothing special. Have you seen the knights around here use an aura?"
"Yes."
"Do those people just use aura?"
"······Then, do they use it differently?"
"Seems like your observation skills are lacking."
Larmund leaned against the haystack, wearing a meaningful smile as he spoke to the boy.
"Think about it. Did they take any specific actions before summoning aura?"
"Actions?"
Vlad furrowed his eyebrows, contemplating the old man's words.
Other knights always summoned aura in urgent situations, so there wasn't much time to observe properly.
However, after hearing Larmund's words, a few scenes came to mind.
"Clashing swords and shields······."
Pablo, the knight who had led him to the path of aura.
He had clashed swords and shields, asking Vlad's name.
The resonance from that moment still echoed vividly in Vlad's ears.
"And?"
Rutger Bayezid, who had defeated the Death Worms.
He seemed to flick his sword with his finger, reminiscent of a volcano erupting.
Though it couldn't be confirmed from a distance.
"And then······."
And Godin, the Knight of Blue Moonlight.
The owner of aura, whom the boy first saw.
"······Is that why he kisses the sword?"
"It's possible. It's about vividly recalling your own world through specific actions."
That was what the key was.
It was a tool to open up one's subconscious world, like a ritual.
"I just use it."
"That's why it's mediocre."
Vlad had no response to Larmund's answer.
Indeed, compared to other knights' aura, his own aura only emitted a faint light.
"When the time comes, Zayar will surely teach you, but it wouldn't hurt to think about it now."
The ritual of opening up the world.
Since it was a technique that only firmly established knights could use, Vlad might not have known how to use it yet.
Feeling the distant state of other knights, Vlad raised his hand, feeling a sense of frustration in his chest.
[Bow!]
"Bow!"
"······Huh?"
Hearing the sudden warnings, Vlad instinctively lowered his head without realizing it.
Thunk!
"Huh?"
Turning his head towards the sound, Vlad heard a foolish noise.
There was Larmund, holding a trembling arrow.
"Things aren't going to be easy."
The gaze in Larmund's eyes, visible through his straw hat, began to sharpen.
"It's an ambush!"
"It's bandits! Stay on guard, everyone!"
The procession came to a halt.
At the same time, there were shouts echoing from all directions.
And arrows flying from the hill.
"Overturn the carriage!"
"Where to?"
Larmund quickly identified the direction from which the arrows were coming and pointed with his finger.
"Hold onto the reins! Make sure that guy doesn't escape. Coachman!"
"Yes? Yes!"
Even in the sudden situation, Larmund quickly assessed the situation and began giving instructions to Vlad and Gott.
Vlad and Gott were able to quickly find their positions thanks to Larmund's natural and agile handling.
"What is it? Are they a group of mounted bandits?"
"....They seem more troublesome than those guys."
Vlad asked, tilting his head towards the direction the arrows were coming from.
At least twenty men were mounted on horses on the hill.
They wore unfamiliar leather armor, had peculiar hairstyles, faces adorned with tattoos.
And they kept shouting in a strange language without pause.
"They're barbarians."
"Barbarians?"
Vlad's expression turned puzzled at the unexpected word coming from Larmund.
Thunk!
Suddenly, an arrow struck next to Vlad.
"······."
A barbarian holding a bow on the hill.
Vlad felt as if their eyes met for a moment.
The two, with eyes akin to beasts, stared at each other.
※※※※
Amidst the acrid smoke and the roaring cries of mercenaries, "Damn it!"
And the arrows flying.
Vlad, staring at the trembling arrow stuck in the ground, quickly used the carriage as cover and began to assess the situation.
He never expected things to turn out this way.
"Why are the barbarians here?"
"······."
People from the north wouldn't be unaware of the barbarians living beyond the northern borders.
Vlad was well aware of the fact that there were people who rejected the teachings of the church and established their own territories.
"This is County Bayezid, right? Even if we've traveled far, we're only a day's journey from Shoara."
"Indeed."
However, the problem was that this was the land of Count Bayezid, far south from the usual areas where barbarians appeared.
Even the experienced Larmund seemed to be lost in thought, chewing on his lips as if this were the first time such a thing had happened.
No matter how much they thought about it, there seemed to be no reason or benefit for these individuals to come all the way down to Count Bayezid's land.
But the deed was done, and now it was time to come up with a plan.
Ssshrk-
"Well, this isn't going to be easy."
Vlad muttered about his twisted fate and drew his sword.
Larmund also drew his sword and gave instructions to Gott.
"Coachman, saddle the horses. We need them to deal with these guys."
Larmund was already contemplating how to salvage the situation.
The deep wrinkles on his forehead indicated that the situation was dire.
"Except for a few warriors, these are people who wouldn't dare fight even a knight. We just have to kill the barbarians' unique mobility."
It was said that barbarians were born alongside horses.
Vlad couldn't help but bite his lip at Larmund's remark about the barbarians' exceptional cavalry skills.
The area related to words was one of the boy's painful weaknesses.
"Listen up! We don't want to kill all of you!"
The barbarians, who had been threatening the procession with arrows for a while, now seemed to feel that the time had come. They let out roaring cries as they descended the hill, pressing forward.
"We'll spare your lives if you pay the toll!"
"······."
Amidst the silence, a man who appeared to be a merchant raised his hand and shouted. He was the leader of the procession.
"We'll pay the toll! Please stop the attack!"
The corners of the barbarians' mouths began to rise as they heard the merchant's words, which sounded like a declaration of surrender.
"How much do you want······."
"Give us all the goods you have!"
Seeing the bewildered expression of the merchant, the leader of the barbarians shouted loudly.
"Leave with nothing but the clothes on your backs! Anyone holding onto anything will find it as their afterlife toll!"
The barbarians celebrated loudly, circling the procession, already boasting of their victory.
The merchants were taken aback by the barbarians' excessive demands, and several mercenaries who had been hired to protect commerce only showed shaking eyes and lost appetite.
Even if they were to abandon their goods and leave, would the barbarians let them go unharmed?
"······These guys aren't easy to deal with."
"I tried to be friendly, but it didn't work out."
None of the members of the group had anticipated that things would turn out this way.
However, life is always a series of unpredictable events, sometimes requiring one to endure trials that come like storms.
Now was such a time.
"I came to catch a horse, but what's this?"
Just as Vlad didn't expect things to turn out this way, the barbarians who were approaching now probably didn't expect the group to be here either.
Vlad closed his left eye quietly, listening to the approaching sound of hooves.
"Get ready."
"Yes."
A retired knight and a boy who aspired to be a knight. Though neither were currently active knights, the swords they held carried enough power.
However, the problem was that his power didn't reach his opponent.
While Larmund was ready to leap forward, holding onto the reins of his horse, Vlad had only one opportunity.
That moment when they approached the procession.
It would be the only chance for the boy, who couldn't ride a horse.
"Whew······."
Vlad waited quietly for the approaching men amidst the commotion.
But the boy's weakness wasn't just the inability to ride a horse.
Neighing!
Something's there!
The horses were startled!
"Darn it!"
Vlad, who had been quietly waiting for the barbarians, felt that things were wrong when he saw them suddenly stop.
Eventually, the strange momentum that had been uncontrollable until now seized the boy's ankle tightly.
"Get out! Now!"
"Damn it!"
They didn't approach as intended, and they hadn't dismounted from their horses.
But there was no more time to wait. If he wanted to wield his sword, now was the only chance.
Despite his old age, Larmund spurred the horse and bolted forward like lightning.
His entire body was already covered in a shimmering aura.
"What are those things!"
"Turn the horses around! Spread out!"
As two approached with an unusual momentum, the barbarians attempted to retreat, but Larmund had already reached them.
"You scoundrels! How dare you intrude here!"
With a thunderous roar, Larmund, standing tall, began to swing his sword fiercely.
Having dedicated his entire life to protect this land, there was no need for mercy towards those who disturbed it.
Blood began to spurt from his old sword.
"It's an aura!"
"Why are there knights here!"
The startled barbarians, seeing the shimmering Larmund, quickly grabbed the reins and began to turn their direction in a hurry.
"Where are you going, you scoundrels!"
Though later than Larmund, Vlad, with his characteristic agility, closed in on the closest barbarian.
[Aim for the horse!]
Following the advice, Vlad swiftly cut the horse's knees, causing the barbarian riding on it to lose balance and stagger.
"Get off!"
Amidst pain and terror, the horse, disregarding its rider, began to buck wildly, and the boy seized the opportunity to quickly grab the dismounted barbarian.
"Argh!"
"Try smiling like earlier, you bastard!"
The plain sword, which had been made to run after them, shimmered, along with the wailing of the horse and the spurting of blood.
The sudden charge of the two caused the momentum of the barbarians to falter.
"Go back, Vlad! Go and protect the people!"
Although it was a half-failed surprise attack, the two men succeeded in defeating the barbarians with their own abilities.
"Aaaah!"
"No! No!"
However, the procession stretched out long, and there were only Vlad and Larmund standing against the barbarians.
Because the mercenaries were running away, using the crying people as sacrifices.
"Those damned bastards."
Vlad muttered a quiet curse towards the fleeing mercenaries, but it was inevitable.
They were just mercenaries, and there was no reason for them to risk their lives in such unfavorable circumstances.
"Captain!"
Gott, wielding his sword, was at least putting up a fight, but he was skilled in combat, not in swordsmanship.
Blood and screams filled the air.
[Steady your area. We can't protect everyone here.]
'Damn it…'
The voice was right.
Vlad's sword could not stop the relentless onslaught of the barbarians, who were constantly attacking and retreating.
Vlad doesn't know if he would have moved with them on horseback, but Vlad was just a person stuck to the ground.
"Holy shit!"
Come down and fight.
Don't go around acting like a coward.
However, as if laughing at the boy's thoughts, the barbarians, like a swarm of bees, were constantly swarming around the procession, stealing, killing, and injuring people.
Horses and mobility.
The people who were trampled by the barbarian's unique tactics had no choice but to sit down and let out deathly screams.
"Mom... Mom."
A father, covered in blood, held his child, who lay sprawled on the ground in disarray, in his arms.
Seeing the horrific scene, Vlad hurriedly looked for Larmund, but the situation made it equally difficult.
The horse Larmund had taken was a pack horse, unable to catch the agile barbarians.
Rather, Larmund's skill in tearing apart a man who looked like the leader of the barbarians and driving him out of the procession was remarkable, even in such adverse conditions.
Once again, the boy could do nothing but rage helplessly at his own powerlessness.
The world presents various challenges—heights unreachable, giants insurmountable, speeds uncatchable.
Feeling the various limits rushing towards him, Vlad bit his lip in frustration.
Once again, he found himself in such a situation.
Heeeeeee-
In a moment that he could not handle on his own, there was a sound that reached Vlad's ears.
"...!"
It was a sound that he could identify in an instant, even after not hearing it for a long time.
"What's that!"
"It's him!"
"He escaped last time!"
A black spot starting from far away.
However, in the blink of an eye, there was a presence that pushed through the barbarians and approached with determination.
Vlad realized that the jet-black eyes coming towards him were seeking him out.
"Here!"
The sunlight sparkled on the unadorned sword held high.
Look, I'm here.
The motionless boy and the horse, which had to avoid the ropes, recognized each other.
"..."
As the passing jet-black night quickly brought a star above him.
Vlad suddenly raised his gaze and stretched out his hand as he had done that day without realizing it.
The flow of air between his fingers was speaking.
"Let's go!"
Hiyiyiiiing-
Now, he could run.
He didn't have to endure anymore.
The unadorned sword that had nowhere to go was raised straight up.
The world flowing through the boy's left eye.
A white horn standing fluidly on top of a pitch-black horse.
The two worlds began to meet at the end of each other's limitations.