A red maple leaf falling slowly.
The maple leaf finally landed on the sword stuck in the rock.
A noble and shiny silver sword.
The sword that everyone seemed to covet continued to draw Vlad's attention.
"…"
However, Vlad could feel it.
The silver sword firmly standing on the rock sharpened its blade towards him.
A protective sword that shielded someone and a bloody sword that slaughtered countless enemies.
And the dragon-slaying sword that pierced the heart of the most perfect dragon.
The sword now stared at Vlad.
With a bright blue day ahead.
Do not come any closer. I am a child who has not yet opened his eyes.
Before I cut you.
***
"Eh!"
Wide-open blue eyes pierced through the dark night.
Vlad, who had just awakened from a nightmare, trembled incessantly.
"…Keuung."
Vlad unconsciously tried to wipe his sweaty forehead, but sharp pain came from the bandages wrapped around both hands.
The wounds from yesterday that had him on edge still bothered Vlad.
'The dream was a dangerous one.'
Vlad clicked his tongue, recalling the vivid nightmare he had just experienced.
The vision from yesterday comes to mind with just a blink of the eyes.
Contrary to its noble appearance, I definitely felt something uneasy about the silver sword I saw yesterday.
So much so that it now feels like a nightmare.
"Why didn't you sleep longer?"
"…You're here."
Vlad turned his head in the direction of the voice.
A slightly open window.
August stood with crossed arms by the window where the soft moonlight streamed in.
"How is it? Have you inspected all the tea fields?"
While Vlad helped the World Tree bloom, August investigated the tea leaves called thujon in the realm of the elves.
However, the two people I met now were in trouble despite finding their own clues.
"The fields were divided."
"Yes?"
"…The story is that they separated the tea leaves they would sell to humans and the tea leaves they would drink."
Two tea fields, one for humans and one for elves.
They may have simply separated it to facilitate sales smoothly, but August, who approached the field, noticed.
The two varieties of tea leaves are subtly different.
"The story is that it was full of malice from the beginning."
"…"
The elves' carriage. Absilon.
In a way, it can be said that the green malice that started in the east is the original sin of the empire.
Because the elves' obsession with humans was entirely initiated by the empire.
Who burned down the World Tree was the most perfect dragon, but who pushed them out of the forest was none other than the Empire.
"There are enemies everywhere."
The blood and tears of countless people are buried under the shining empire.
The empire was like another dragon trampling their world.
And now the empire must reap the seeds of the original sin it has sown.
Like it or not.
In the distance, there was a tree still shining on its own under the night sky.
The eyes of the old knight, gazing at the newly blooming World Tree in contrast to the gradually fading empire, couldn't help but fill with confusion.
***
"Then, why did you hold the sword upside down?"
"…"
It's early in the morning, the sun has finally come out.
The girl grumbled as she unwrapped the tangle of bandages.
She didn't seem to like the look of the bandaging, which didn't come off easily even though she had wrapped it.
"If I had known things would be like this, I would have taken it with my sword."
"People who make excuses aren't trustworthy."
A knight wounded by his own sword.
If the wound was caused by holding the sword upside down, no one would hear anything good about it.
"Then, why didn't you tell me beforehand?"
"It was also my first time. It was the first flower ceremony I've had in my life."
I thought all I had to do was show the amber stone.
However, the two World Trees used their world as a conduit to come and go between memories and reality, so Vlad had no choice but to grit his teeth and endure.
If I had known it would be like this, I would never have lifted my sword that way.
"Who can I blame?"
If we were to be honest, it was the girl's fault for not giving any warning, but it was probably also Vlad's fault.
As the girl just said, nothing seemed as pitiful as a knight's excuse, so Vlad decided to keep his mouth shut for now.
"It's done."
The girl, who had finally removed all the bandages, smiled cheerfully and opened the wooden box she had brought.
A container containing powders and colorful liquids.
The girl's wooden box was so full of bright colors it looked like it contained cosmetics.
"Wait. I said I could use this and this."
"I guess you've never tried it."
"It's fine, I've had a lot of it."
Vlad wished for a skilled hand if possible, but the girl ignored his wishes and simply picked up the vials.
"Give me your hands."
"…"
In response to the girl's reckless attitude, Vlad had no choice but to extend his hands forward.
Vlad's palm was deeply cut.
Looking at the knight's palm, from which dark red blood still flowed, the girl unconsciously pursed her lips.
"It must have hurt."
"Not particularly."
Though he responded casually, Vlad knew he was injured because of his lack of skill.
However, since it was the first time the girl had seen the World Tree bloom, someone had to take care of her mistakes behind the scenes.
Vlad's wounds were those traces.
"The elders gave you many things to use. It will work fine."
No matter how much the elves ostracized humans, they were the ones who helped with the precious illumination ceremony, so they planned to treat Vlad without regrets.
Besides, he said he had lost the family relic he brought with him, so he couldn't return it empty-handed.
The current medicine was a small part of the reward for coming.
"But the sword that was there at that time…"
"Yes. The sword of the Sword Master."
The girl replied lightly, but the people listening ended up shuddering loudly.
Not only August, but also Goethe, who was helping by her side.
The word Sword Master had a special meaning for the people of the empire.
"Why him?"
"I was curious why it was stuck there."
I thought it would be an unusual sword, but I had no idea it would be the Sword Master's sword.
From retired knights to stable caretaker.
The three humans in the room unconsciously stretched their necks and began to wait for the girl's answer.
"I heard that the Sword Master gave it to me."
"The Sword Master gave you that sword? Directly?"
"Eh."
The girl's golden eyes that met Vlad's were shining.
It was a look in her eyes that contained not a single lie.
"The Empire was bad, but the Sword Master was good. That's why he gave me a sword."
"…What's that?"
Even August lost composure and asked at the girl's answer that seemed to come out of nowhere, but all he got were the cold eyes of the elf escorts.
There was only one person who could speak with the girl in this place, Vlad.
"The sword there is a dragon-slaying sword. A talisman that protects the World Tree."
The girl's eyes pointed to the young World Tree outside the window.
The World Tree of Ausurin continues to shine and bloom slowly.
August and Goethe may not have been able to see it, but Vlad, who had absorbed the remnants of the voice, could see it, albeit faintly.
Small spirits running through the World Tree.
"…What are you protecting the World Tree from?"
We must see the true hidden meaning in the phenomenon.
Joseph always told that to the inexperienced boy.
Why did the Sword Master leave his sword behind?
Why did they do that to protect the World Tree?
The only person who could say that was the girl in front of me.
"The Sword Master's sword is the most perfect dragon-slaying sword."
A noble silver sword.
The most perfect dragon-slaying sword.
"So all the dragons in this world fear that sword."
The sword I saw yesterday was speaking to Vlad.
Hurry up and get out of my way.
Before I cut you.
"…I see."
Only then did Vlad realize.
The strange feeling I felt yesterday wasn't just an illusion.
That was a sharp warning sent by the Sword Master's sword to Vlad.
Thump!
'······?'
Vlad, who was thinking about yesterday's sword through the girl's words, suddenly felt his heart beating.
An unexpected heartbeat of the heart that he hadn't felt lately.
Every time his heart beat, an uncontrollable feeling of anxiety began to rise within Vlad.
It was a sound completely different from before.
"Miss."
As Vlad panicked at the sudden attack, the door to the room slammed open and the elves escorting the girl began to enter.
With hurried steps, like no one else.
"You have to leave now."
"I'll take you there."
A girl who heard the situation in a whisper from the elf escorts.
The girl's eyes as she looked at Vlad began to tremble little by little.
____
Join the discord!
https://dsc.gg/indra
____