In the middle of a snowy mountain covered in mist, a man with black hair knelt on one knee, observing the scene before him.
"....They're all dead," he remarked.
"It certainly looks that way," replied Dorothea, nodding in agreement at Rutger's words.
The corpses of monsters lay frozen stiff upon the icy expanse, their last breaths mingling with the cold exhales of the white mountain. Though there was no stench of carnage, the traces of their final struggles were evident in their frozen expressions.
"They were taken out in an instant. The first one didn't even realize he was dying," Dorothea commented, approaching the corpse of a gray orc with wide eyes.
"That's how they operated," murmured Rutger, joining her side and walking in the direction she indicated.
Indeed, her observation was accurate. The first corpse was facing forward, the middle one attempting to turn around, and the last one only managing to do so before meeting its end.
"It moved like this."
"······."
Rutger walked up to Dorothea's side and walked in the direction she pointed.
Indeed, she was right.
The first body was facing forward.
The body in the middle was trying to look back.
The last corpse finally looked back but was unable to avoid it.
At an estimate, the number of orc corpses scattered around was close to 50.
"You mean it killed them all in just one turn."
Rutger grasped the situation and nodded.
The bodies of the gray orcs, shattered as if they had collided with something massive, were strewn about. A silent force had trampled over them, leaving death in its wake without a second glance, as it raced onward.
Rutger sighed heavily as he surveyed the scattered limbs of the orcs.
"....Josef's report was accurate," he muttered, lifting his gaze to the snowy peaks, but the mountains, with their sharp ridges, remained silent about their secrets.
The perfect being torn apart by the Sword Master fell to the ground, scattering its blood all over the world.
Thus emerged the remnants of fallen dragon.
The dragon had lost its wings, its eyes.
And so the dragon scattered throughout the world, forgetting even its own identity as a dragon.
And now, for some reason unknown, a being possessing the most perfect pair of legs realized its identity as a dragon.
※※※※
"Erik!"
A blond boy running sweating in the middle of a large training ground.
Vlad, with sandbags tied to his arms and legs, ran tirelessly.
Hee-hee-hee-
The pitch-black horse seemed to find it funny that he was struggling under the weight of the heavy sandbag despite his strong will, so he followed Vlad around and ran around.
Watching the exuberant horse, Vlad only grunted heavily.
"How long do I have to keep doing this?"
"Until you reach your limit."
"Why? Why do I have to do this?"
"You want to learn how to use aura, don't you? Then stop complaining and do it."
With a firm reply from Larmund, Vlad turned his head and gritted his teeth, continuing to run.
With each drop of sweat falling from his chin, he silently cursed Larmund in his heart.
Larmund watched Vlad run, lost in thought.
Born in a dark alley, raised among glamorous prostitutes, and unnecessarily flashy in appearance, Vlad carried with him the biases of his upbringing. Yet the boy before him ran silently, like a beast plowing a field.
'Strangely diligent,' Larmund thought, watching Vlad train quietly.
At least he wasn't just a wild child relying solely on his talent.
"While you run, think! Imagine absorbing the aura into your body!" shouted the old knight, his voice echoing across the training ground.
At first glance, having someone run around recklessly while carrying a heavy load seemed like an old-fashioned training method, but Larmund was not just a stubborn person who believed in old values.
His training method was carefully tailored to Vlad's current state.
The boy possessed talent and determination, but lacked the skill and stamina to fully utilize them. Neglecting the rigorous physical training necessary to enhance his already exceptional physical abilities had prompted Larmund to push Vlad harder.
"How did you handle it back then? When you dragged the barbarian down to the ground!"
A body reaching its limits would naturally seek growth, filling the void left by exhaustion with something else. Utilizing his senses honed over years, Larmund constantly pushed Vlad to his limits.
"Push harder!"
Vlad heard Larmund's shout whenever he faltered.
Every time he heard it, Vlad closed his left eye again and imagined lifting the world.
Vlad's world, unable to be expressed through his sword, scattered without direction. 'Is this even possible?'
Vlad ran tirelessly across the training ground, sweat dripping from every pore. But Larmund's gaze remained steady, instilling a sense of reassurance in Vlad's heart each time he met it.
I can go further. I can still do this.
Efforts without clear goals and directions would only amount to futile struggles. But having someone firmly guiding him allowed Vlad to move forward without hesitation.
As Vlad planted his left foot firmly on the ground, completely exhausted, his body reached out to grasp a strand of color within the world to fulfill his will to move forward.
"Ugh!"
His vision was suddenly pulled forward.
At least that's what Vlad thought.
With a cry and a sudden leap forward, Vlad's unexpected leap caught the black horse off guard, its eyes widening in surprise.
[Try a breakfall. Otherwise, you'll get hurt.]
"Ugh!"
Caught off guard by his own unexpected movement, Vlad stumbled in mid-air before tumbling to the ground.
As he fell, clouds of dust rose around him.
"Ha..."
Larmund couldn't help but release a sigh from the depths of his chest as he watched the scene unfold.
It was a sigh that fell somewhere between joy and disappointment.
"······ I told you to do it, but you just did it right away."
There was always some regret in giving up something precious.
And for Larmund, his lifelong practice of Body Strengthening Art was one such thing.
"Eek! There's a mouse! A mouse!"
Hei-hee-hee-
Vlad rolled on the ground, clutching his thigh with dust flying everywhere.
Despite the chaos, Larmund calmly walked closer, his lips tightening.
Even if he was old, there were things he couldn't easily let go of.
※※※※
Vlad lay sprawled on an empty table.
In front of him, dinner prepared by Marcella was laid out, but he was in no condition to even lift a spoon.
"...I am going to die like this."
In the morning, he sparred with Zayar.
At lunch, it was training with Larmund.
And in the evening, there were discussions about today's progress with the voice.
The teachings of just one person were enough to be overwhelming, and Vlad knew it well, but his body was screaming as he had to accept it.
The three teachings Vlad had to accept were extraordinary worlds in themselves.
"Hey, Captain. How are you?"
"...Go away."
Vlad growled at Gott, who was smiling at him as he came up the stairs.
"I usually listen to the Captain, but I can't leave you alone right now. Lord Josef told me to stay here from now on."
Gott smiled weakly at Vlad, who was struggling, and set down his belongings next to the table.
"There should be a stable keeper wherever there are horses, right?"
"..."
Seeing Gott teasing him with nostalgia, Vlad chuckled.
"Is that so?"
It was unfair to suffer alone.
However, being together with someone could ease the discomfort a bit.
Vlad shrugged his shoulders, thinking of the pitch-black horse who ran out of the stable twice because he disliked confined spaces.
"Cheer up."
"Huh? Yeah... sure."
Gott felt an uneasy heart as he watched Vlad smile strangely at himself.
Vlad made an effort to turn his stiffened head and looked towards Zemina, who was sitting on the opposite side, sorting out the gifts she received and making a list.
Although the glamorous appearance from a few days ago had disappeared, her earrings still sparkled as ever.
"Should I buy you some earrings?"
"These are expensive."
"But they're Marcella's."
"Now they're mine."
The girl who dragged the black horse with the dress and accessories Marcella gave her.
Although Vlad wanted to do something for her after resolving her desperate wish, Zemina calmly rejected his offer.
"Don't worry about others' earrings when you can't even get a proper salary. Focus on earning money."
"But I do get pocket money."
"Ha!"
Zemina snorted as she looked at Vlad proudly boasting about receiving pocket money.
"Do you know? The entire cost of staying here with you is running in front of you?"
"...Why?"
As unexpected words popped out of Zemina's mouth, Vlad jumped up as if struck by lightning.
"I don't know. But you have to pay for that."
"Why!"
"I don't know either!"
Zemina shouted abruptly and pushed the ledger she had been writing into Vlad's face.
"Anyway, you're a debtor now! Remember that!"
Vlad's eyes were shaking as he watched Zemina go down the stairs, as if telling her not to be satisfied with just receiving pocket money.
"Why me?"
As much as Vlad's gaze wavered, the ledger written by Zemina was full of crooked letters.
Just as the boy struggled to move forward, the girl was also striving to follow behind.
※※※※
"Hmph. Trying to pay off debts with mere earrings? Ridiculous."
Hee-hee-hee-
Zemina went down to the stable on the first floor and offered a carrot to the black horse who was waiting for her.
"Do you think so too? You eat so well."
Chewing on the bright red carrot given by Zemina, the black horse seemed to enjoy teasing.
"Alright. Eat this and then help me out, okay?"
As if understanding Zemina's words, the black horse nodded his head.
Marcella had said it.
To catch a knight, you must first catch the horse he rides.
Taking the advice of the former star of the show, Zemina made up her mind.
She wouldn't just stand by and watch the boy.