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My wounds were still there, but they had healed to the point I could move without much difficulty. I warmed up by flicking my wrists and shoulders.

“I told you not to push yourself so hard during your injury.”

Archduke Quenor sighed, unsheathing the sword in his hand. It was a practice sword. I had asked to fight him with a real sword, but he had insisted that he would never raise one against me, so I had no choice but to switch to a practice sword.

“There is no guarantee that you will gain anything. Nor is there any guarantee that I can teach you something.”

“We don’t have much time, and I need to improve.”

I said, sucking in a breath. The Archduke nodded heavily as if he knew.

“Come first. I’m not going to waste my time dueling you.”

The Archduke then shifted his attitude. It was a battle stance, one that was common when they fought together. With that change in momentum, a light breeze blew through my hair. There was nothing more reassuring when we were allies, but when we faced each other, it felt like a sword was on my neck. I was ready to be hit at any moment.

“I’ll try my best not to hurt you as much as possible.”

I responded with a stab. The quickest and surest way. But his reaction was swift, his gaze precisely following my blade’s tip.

The sword made a scraping sound as steel collided, and then he pushed my blade outward with the hilt of his sword, opening my body. I leaped sideways, using the momentum to move behind my sword and parry his attack.

“I’m surprised you were able to block that.”

The Archduke looked at me and muttered.

“Were you trying to end it with one strike?”

“It’s because I respect you, and you are a strong fighter. I will continue attacking you with the intention to kill you until you fall.”

The Archduke closed in on me in a flash and slashed his blade. I blocked it with a swing of my own. The shock made me wonder if it was indeed a human behind such a heavy attack. But I didn’t let go of my sword. I couldn’t let my stance slip. ‘If I keep defending, I’ll break first. If I switch to offense, I’ll be eaten.’

“Kuh!”

I met the Archduke’s sword with a defensive stance, unable to launch a strike of my own It wasn’t long before I was thrown to the ground, the tip of his sword pointed at my throat.

“…May I try again?”

At my words, the Archduke wordlessly withdrew his sword. I rise to my feet, and our swords clash again. The second time we dueled, I held out longer. I held out even longer in our third bout. But he was slowly beating me faster and faster in every duel after that. I could not adapt to his sword, but he gradually adapted to mine. I could only come up with a limited number of moves, and he responded with a myriad of variations.

After I sprawled on the ground for the tenth time, the Archduke let out a short breath as he plunged his dueling sword into the ground. I staggered back to my feet, covered in dirt. I’d thought I would’ve countered his swordsmanship with time, but I couldn’t make any progress. He stared at me for a moment, then opened his mouth.

“If I may, there is one thing I would like to ask you.”

I nodded, breathing harshly.

“…Why are you fighting so hard?”

Uncharacteristically, there was hesitation in the Archduke’s voice as he asked me why. I dropped my sword and frowned.

“…There is no reason, nor do I wish to find one.”

‘Is it because I must act like the Hero to survive?’

At least, that’s what I thought before I got here. I smiled bitterly and raised my sword again. A week ago, the summer breeze blew around the noisy citadel. However, all I felt now was the chill of the battlefield. As I climbed the ramparts and looked out into the distance, I could see the snowing clouds even from here.

“At least it’s not a loss for Evernode.”

Don’t overthink it, I told the Archduke quickly. Archduke Quenor crossed his arms and stared at me.

“If you want to become stronger, there are better ways to do it.”

The Archduke was right. Sparring was not the only way to improve. ‘The best way would be to simply ask him to teach me the sword, but even if I asked, I would surely be rejected….’

“I would rather teach you the sword. I know it’s too late for you, but at least it will make you much stronger than you are now.”

I gasped, my eyes widening to the size of round-lensed glasses. Archduke Quenor, meanwhile, was shrugging nonchalantly.

“Perhaps it will be the final key to the enlightenment you’ve been searching for. You’ve been acting like a man searching for something.”

‘No, how did he know that?’ As I stared at him in bewilderment and amazement, he chuckled and drew his sword with a flourish.

“If you wish to decline, you may; I’m not forcing you.”

That’s not something even Arjen would be able to refuse. I shook my head quickly and opened my mouth to speak. As good as the Holy Sword’s instruction was, it wouldn’t have the same effect as being taught by the Archduke.

“No, no. Please teach me.”

“As expected, you couldn’t refuse me.”

Archduke Quenor lumbered over to me and suddenly jabbed me in the side with his dueling sword to get me into position. A grunt escaped my lips, and I raised my sword and assumed my stance.

“Well, then, let’s get started. We should have done this a long time ago. This is gonna hurt a bit since you are injured.”

He looked at me, the corner of his mouth twitching upwards. ‘Damn it. I should’ve never accepted.’

“Hold your sword straight. I’ll show you the mistakes you made during our spars.”

I swallowed dryly and looked at the Archduke with fear in my eyes. A man must be careful with every decision they make in life.

***

“Replenish your arrows here!”

“You’re lucky you’re fighting in the summer, boys. I can tell you have never tried defending a fort.”

The city walls were bustling. Soldiers scrambled up the walls of Evernode’s magnificent exterior to prepare for an invasion. No one knew when the monsters would push in, but the knights and soldiers who had eaten a quick bite felt the chill in the air and realized that war was just around the corner.

“They could come at any moment. Keep your eyes open.”

Every so often, every few years, monsters pounded the walls of Evernode. However, everyone there knew it would be different this time. The knights tensed, all on the edge of their seats, wondering if it would be worse than the Great Invasion from a decade ago.

The wizards were busy researching large-scale magic. Daphne, who had been coaching the mages for two nights in a row, ran into Georg, who was pacing the ramparts with bags under his eyes.

“What’s the situation?”

“The days are growing darker. We’re very close to the horizon, and the woods where the patrols have already gone are barely visible through the veil of snow. We expect the battle to start tomorrow, but seeing some movement soon wouldn’t be surprising.”

Daphne nodded, grimacing. It would have been nice to have Elroy with her, but the Archduke’s orders were not to set foot on the ramparts until he had recovered from his wounds. It was better to have him back in good health than to have him walking around unsteadily with his injuries.

“Is Marianne back?”

“Yes. She told me she’s been on standby since yesterday. When Elroy returns, the four of us will be moving together, and if the war starts before he’s fully recovered…”

There was a slight rumble on the ground, accompanied by the cries of the trumpets from Evernode’s ramparts.

“…we’ll be fighting where we are, waiting for him.”

The soldiers and knights alike began to run. It was not from the Giant moving, but the vibration of thousands, tens of thousands of monsters running simultaneously. Daphne swallowed dryly and turned to look outside the walls.

“The monsters are coming!”

“Everyone in position! Don’t panic, just like we practiced!”

At Archduke Quenor’s gruff voice urging his soldiers on, Evernode’s men readied their spears. Georg frowned and looked at Daphne.

“I will go where I need to be. Hurry and join the wizards.”

With that, Georg lowered the shield on his back and ran frantically away. Daphne gulped at the sight beyond the walls.

The trees were swaying. No, they were falling, one by one. Crashing through the trees was a demonic wave. The larger ones, like the Ashen Bear, led the way, with the smaller ones following behind.

“Get everyone under the ramparts up here! Wizards, prepare for a barrage!”

The walls flashed with light as the wizards prepared their magic. Daphne, too, drew on her mana, powering the spells that would sweep the creatures away. When the vanguard of the monsters stood at the edge of the forest, Archduke Quenor shouted.

“Open fire!”

Magic and arrows rained down. The bombardment of spells devastated everything. The monsters in the front fell and then trampled over by the ones behind. Blood and flesh spurted from the crushed bodies. However, they still slowly marched forward.

“Looks like they’re getting to the walls.”

“Prepare for battle. The knights will deal with those that climb the walls while the wizards continue to fire into the main body.”

The Archduke drew his sword.

“They will try to cross here at the first opportunity. Do not allow a single one to cross these walls!”

“”Yes, sir!!””

The monsters clung to the walls. The larger ones slammed themselves into the wall. They formed a base, like a scaffold, upon which the monsters climbed. They had no care for their own life. Monsters climbed on the ramp of corpses, and then another, and another. A tower of flesh rose before the wall. A baptism of fire and stone rained down to kill them, but their bodies kept climbing higher.

“Use fire magic! Don’t let a carcass remain.”

The corpses caught fire. They served as fuel as a wall of fire slowly crawled across them. The monster on the ramp burned with corpses or fell as the bodies turned to ash.

Some clung to the walls and crawled up. Archduke Quenor stood on the ramparts and looked down at the ascending creatures, and at his sheer momentum and presence, they froze.

“You will never set foot on my domain.”

The Archduke’s sword spewed aura, and dozens of the creatures that had crawled up the ramparts went limp. He ‘walked’ the entire length of the ramparts, swinging his sword to clear them out. The creatures were drawn to the aura and attacked Archduke Quenor, and with a wave of his hand, they were reduced to pieces of meat, and he was spattered with blood.

Other knights and soldiers drew their swords. They skillfully slashed at the creatures, killing them and sending them tumbling off the walls. The monsters fell into the fire pit beneath the ramparts.

“Was I late?”

The Archduke nonchalantly turned his head to see a person climbing the ramparts. Elroy frowned as he watched Evernode’s manpower slaughter the monsters so skillfully. Archduke Quenor smirked at the scowling wretch. Elroy sighed as he surveyed the scene.

“…I rushed all the way here, but it seems I have nothing to do.”