Kaaaaaah-!
"….."
Rutiger deeply closed his left eye as he listened to the Deathworm's roar resonating in the distance.
To delve deeper into himself, to invoke a world of his own, more solid and robust.
Rutiger's world turned red.
A world of anger and passion, like an active volcano.
"I suspect the shiny thing on its forehead. I believe it has something to do with magic."
His own wizard spoke, dragging his weary body downward.
Someone is controlling the Deathworm.
Who dares to disturb the land of my ancestors with their tricks in the land of Bayezid.
"Here it comes..."
Rutiger closed his left eye, awakening the world with fury.
¡Kaaaahhhhh-!
"¡Aaaaahhhhh-!"
The boy's eyes opened wide with a scream.
At the same time, Rutiger's sword slowly rose.
His sword was ablaze.
***
"…!"
[I think we're ready!]
As Vlad rode through the moonless night, leading the Deathworm, he felt another person's world burning fiercely in the distance.
"That...!"
[Temporarily awakened world, a much better knight than I thought.]
Involuntarily, Vlad shuddered, sensing the fierce determination emanating from Rutiger.
It was wilder than any knight he had seen, and it burned brighter than anything else.
"It's different!"
Rutiger's world burned crimson, like an active volcano, in response to the voice's advice, temporarily expanding his world through deep meditation.
Only a knight capable of introspection to such depths could achieve this.
One who knows who he is.
Because no one is more rooted.
¡...!
And the Deathworm pursuing Vlad also noticed Rutiger's world.
There was no one in this area, no matter how ignorant, who did not recognize Rutiger's spirit.
The Deathworm slowed down, turning its head away.
"Damn it!"
Realizing that the Deathworm had been distracted, Vlad cursed and raised his sword high.
But the world of the young man was still bathed in a faint glow.
He couldn't divert the Deathworm's attention from Rutiger's fervent spirit.
Nodding.
"Eh?"
The jet-black horse suddenly turned to look at the Deathworm, assimilating the situation.
Faced with the sudden turn, Vlad could only clutch his mane.
[...]
"Hey, stop!"
Vlad snorted at this incomprehensible behavior, but his voice was just an exclamation of disbelief.
Taking advantage of its momentum, the horse quickly swung back and looked at the Deathworm.
Vlad couldn't see it, but he could hear it.
The subtle movement of the mist approaching the creature's forehead.
¡Hiiiiing-!
Vlad was speechless as the horse not only staggered backward but also swung rapidly from side to side, taunting the Deathworm.
The horse's intentions succeeded.
The slightly glowing mist had managed to confuse the Deathworm's senses.
¡Kaaaaaah!
The Deathworm glared at Vlad on his horse, who dared to provoke it.
It had no eyes, but it seemed to have them.
"I didn't do this!"
Panicking as the Deathworm lunged towards him, spitting blood, Vlad's intentions had succeeded nonetheless.
'Neigh-!
The horse neighed with all its might, lifting its front hooves.
The boy's armor came off.
Lifting the aura flowing from the young man's world.
The faintly glowing mist on his forehead began to take shape as it ran.
Not only in the world of voices but also in the world of reality where everyone could see.
A mystery, now forgotten, rose again in the world's memory.
"Let's go!"
¡Hiiiiing-!
The Moonless Night, which had expressed so many possibilities, turned around and ran, with the Deathworm following behind it. {1}
Towards the active volcano burning in front of me.
The Moonless Night ran, carrying a radiant child.
Here, too, was an awakened world.
On the horizon where you and I meet.
I become us.
The jet-black horse and the boy completed each other more and more by uniting through the other's world.
And a single white star finally rose in the night sky.
¡Kaaaaaah-!
"Close the gap!"
"Boy, retreat now!"
Rutiger's knights, who had been waiting for the right moment, charged forward in an instant and began to flank the Deathworm.
¡Crack!
Rutiger's knights from Bayezid slowly closed the gap like a stranglehold to prevent the Deathworm from escaping.
With the help of the knights from their respective places, Vlad had a moment to catch his breath.
"Lord Rutiger!"
"…..Thank you."
The stars and the fire met in a quick flash.
The Deathworm, whose mouth had opened wide to devour the boy, was bewildered by the sudden diversion of the horse from its course, aided by the knights.
The jet-black horse and the boy who had mocked it.
But now that they were out of the way, the Deathworm faced Rutiger.
"It's my turn."
Rutiger Bayezid.
The knight and firstborn of Bayezid, a flame-burning knight.
"This is the land of Bayezid."
Rutiger's silent fury was directed at the one who needed to be charged.
"It's not for people like you to dare to meddle with it."
Bayezid's red sword rose in the air.
Rutiger's sword tinkled with a supernatural resonance, engulfing everything in its path in flames.
¡Kaaaaaah-!
Crimson lava erupted from the depths of his soul and shot towards this world.
Without the slightest hesitation, the knight lowered his sword.
With anger in his sword.
And the air between Deathworm and Rutiger.
Everything began to burn.
"So, die!"
With Rutiger's words, a red flash shot out from under the blue sky.
The silent fury pierced the enormous world with the controlled precision of a knight's movements.
¡Kaaaaaah-!
The shadow of the fallen dragon split in half and let out a pitiful cry.
The young Deathworm's final lament echoed in the green meadow.
The glow on the Deathworm's forehead slowly disappeared as the flames burned hotter than lava.
***
"¡Eek!"
Vlad winced in pain at the fierce heat on his back.
[Looks like he did it.]
"…"
The boy's gaze as he looked back.
Eeeeeeeeeee-!
There was a Deathworm there, its torso ablaze and writhing.
Half of its body was already severed, squirming helplessly on the meadow.
Its acrid smell, carried by the wind, finally reached the boy's nostrils.
"How is he able to... do this?"
Vlad asked the voice, chilled.
He had always dreamed of the world of knights.
But what lay before him was larger and more overwhelming than he had ever imagined.
Could the Knight of the Blue Moon do it too?
Like the knight who incinerated the Deathworm as a wall?
Is this the true world of knights?
[If his world is so solid that nothing can shake it.]
Lost in thought, the boy watched the spectacle that defied common sense. The world of knights was like a mountain that could be climbed but seemed to have no end.
The boy was fully aware that he was barely at the starting line.
Rutiger knelt on one knee, his sword thrust into the scorched earth.
The sword of Bayezid smiled at the boy.
***
"Welcome."
"..."
The vision has ended.
It's time to return to reality.
Following the horse's guidance, Vlad stumbled forward and jumped off the horse's back.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine... A cold beer would be nice."
Rutiger struggled to stand on the scorching ground, leaning heavily on his sword.
"Ouch."
But his strength seemed to fail him, and he fell backward to the ground.
The price of temporarily awakening the world was taking its toll.
"...Can't you get up?"
"I feel like I'm also going to die."
The corpse of the Deathworm still twitched intermittently.
Faced with the enormity, Vlad sank to the ground.
Feeling the warmth in his backside, Vlad stood up again.
This is not what I came here for on vacation.
"You're a good rider."
"I wasn't the problem."
Rutiger could only laugh at the boy's cheeky response.
Gradually, the knights who had been driving the Deathworm to help Vlad escape began to gather around Rutiger.
"Not bad for a kid."
"Yeah, not bad."
"Well done, kid."
Bayezid's knights passed by the boy, patting him on the back and tousling his hair.
"..."
Vlad felt something he hadn't felt in a long time as he saw the knights display their unabashed camaraderie with him.
If you can smile in the most dangerous of places, it's because of the warmth people create.
Even in the alleys.
And in front of the flaming corpse of the Deathworm.
The boys and knights who faced the mighty Deathworm today were comrades in arms.
"Lord Rutiger, are you okay?"
Another knight came running with the sound of a squeaky wheel.
The knights who had been guarding the pilgrims in front of me realized that the situation was over and led the priests to Rutiger.
"...Ahh."
Vlad smiled as he saw them carry the priest Andreas on the dalguzi. {2}
That was the world he had protected.
"Vlad?"
Andreas, pale and nauseous, recognized Vlad and looked at him with a kind gaze.
"Yes. Father."
Vlad stood up, gripping his wobbly thighs, and approached Andreas.
The boy's unsteady movements were enough to pity the terrified priests.
Andreas welcomed the boy with open arms as he approached, looking weak.
"Well done... Thank you."
From a distance, he couldn't see the details, but the small scars on Vlad's face said it all.
That the boy had done his best.
"Come here. Vlad Of Soara."
Vlad closed his eyes as he embraced the priest who opened his arms to him.
He felt his body as warm as the sun on the day he had given his name before the gods.
"God. Have mercy on the boy who has received your will here today, for he has done it willingly..."
Vlad breathed a sigh of relief as he listened to Andreas recite the prayer.
He couldn't help but smile.
The boy was once something fragile.
But today, by his own decision, he protected Andreas.
The boy who protected the only root forming his world deserved to be comforted.
Because he had fought for this moment.
The knights closed their eyes, listening to the priests' prayers silently resonate over the green meadows.
***
Sturma at dusk.
Ragmus spoke to Fether, who gazed out the window at the rear of the Bayezid mansion.
"Count. A message from Dorothea, sent through the crystal sphere."
Fether took the note from Ragmus with an impassive expression and began to read.
His jet-black eyebrows began to furrow.
"The land…"
The words on the small piece of paper.
The words were scrawled with ominous news.
"Dark magic again?"
"It seems to have taken root in the north."
At Ragmus's words, Fether turned his head and saw the red sun through the city walls.
Sturma.
A city built on the blood of the Bayezid.
The walls surrounding the city are the family's history.
"As the empire crumbles, the cursed old ones crawl in."
"…"
Ragmus said nothing in response to Fether's lament.
Time passes, and times change.
And Fether Bayezid presided over a house during perhaps the most turbulent time in the family's history.
"But there is comforting news, isn't there?"
"Yes. The squire."
Fether remembered the name in the last sentence of the note.
Vlad, the squire brought by his own son.
"Lately, I hear his name a lot."
"That's because exceptional children tend to show up wherever they are."
The squire had caught his attention, even in his clash with the other squires.
From the monster slaying last winter to the work with the pilgrims now, Bayezid would have struggled without him.
He was a peculiar boy.
"You get what you deserve."
With these words, Fether rang the bell on his desk.
The silver bell rang clear and loud, resonating outside the Oval Office.
"You called for me, Count?"
"Bring Joseph."
"Yes, sir."
The butler, upon hearing the order, exited the office.
"Are you sure he has permission?"
"Because you deserve it."
Deep down, he wanted to pat him on the back, but the eccentric squire belonged to Joseph.
Any sponsorship or reward would have to come through him.
The blond boy's talent belonged to Joseph.
"…"
Fether's gaze once again landed on the city walls beyond the window.
The Sturma walls were bathed in a reddish twilight.
Forged with blood, the walls had never faltered.
Just like Fether, who now stood tall.Translator's notes:(1): The truth is a bit confusing to understand since they use the word "World" a lot to represent various things, but I'll try to make it distinct and comprehensible.
(2): This is not explained well; I don't know if it's a Horse, Wyvern, or something else. For now, I'll leave it as is. Later, when it's explained, I'll make the change.