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(You know you’ve only been here a few days.)

The Holy Sword scowled. Well, I was nervous. I’m sure they’d be able to hold off a horde of monsters without me, but I wasn’t happy about not seeing it with my own eyes.

“…Still, I’m glad to hear that my recovery is going well.”

(That’s good, but don’t use dual-wield swords for now. You’ve already messed with your body once and need a recovery period before you can do it again. There’s no guarantee that your body will be able to withstand the next time you use that technique without it.)

The twin swords were strong, but they greatly strained my body. I’ll be much harder to deal with with two powers in my arsenal. Now that I’ve overcome the pressure when awakening the Holy Sword, I think I can do the same with the twin swords. However, the Holy Sword disagrees.

(We can’t use a technique that forces us off the battlefield after we use it.)

I couldn’t think of anything to say about being immediately dismissed.

(In the meantime, work on your swordsmanship the Archduke has taught you.)

“Do you have no intention of teaching me swordsmanship?”

(It’s impossible to teach someone who knows little about swords with just words. All I can show you right now are the basics and footwork.)

I should count myself lucky. It has saved me a few times.

(As you become more familiar with the sword, I will teach you bits and pieces of the mythical sword styles used by heroes of long ago.)

“Alright, I’ll just have to think about awakening the second stage.”

I had much more free time after my ‘lessons’ with the Archduke. Having so much time to work on the crown’s trials was good, though I doubt it’s a good thing.

(You make it sound like you are suffering. I saw you happily sleeping on the nun’s thigh again.)

…As the Holy Sword had said, they found out I had been tying myself to a pillar. I got a long scolding for that, so I turned to Marianne for help. She did as she was told and helped me keep the thorns of the crown from hitting my head when I fell, but she was a bit of a pain in the ass by offering me a lap pillow whenever I fell. I asked her to occasionally put me on a regular pillow, but when I opened my eyes, I still saw Marianne’s face. Worse, I was getting used to the feeling. The nagging voice of the Holy Sword grew louder and louder.

“I couldn’t help it.”

(You did look comfortable, though.)

I let out a hollow laugh and buried my head in my pillow. I’d be allowed to take the field tomorrow, so I’ll go to bed early tonight. Or better yet, wake up at the crack of dawn and go to the ramparts. I placed the Holy Sword against the window sill and closed my eyes to sleep.

Until I felt a slight rumbling.

I picked up the sword and quickly dressed myself. I wanted to open the window and jump out but decided against it and ran down the stairs.

(The silver lining is that you are almost fully recovered.)

“So much for my days in bed.”

Soldiers and knights rushed past me as I made my way out of the ward. Some were on horseback, and I didn’t need to look outside to hear the oncoming horde.

The sound was deafening. The wizards had begun to work their magic in earnest. There was shouting and yelling, a dizzying array of spears, and the sound of taut bows being released. The closer I got to the walls, the clearer the sounds became.

“…Get off!…”

“…Drop it into the fire!…”

A burning monster fell on top of me. I quickly readied for a fight, but it was slashed in half, and didn’t move again. I sprinted on and reached the first level of the walls. The soldier standing nearby stared in surprise and immediately moved out of the way.

I climbed the stairs. I drew my Holy Sword and circulated my mana. I felt light. The past few days of rest have positively affected my body. At the end of the stairs, I saw a crawler pinning down a knight. I swung my sword straight down, and the crawler’s open-mouthed screaming head was severed and rolled down the stairs.

“Thank you, Hero.”

The knight, covered in blood, quickly thanked me before returning to the battlefield, and I followed, scanning the battlefield for any sign of need.

However, everyone seemed to be holding their own. I could barely hear the soldiers and knights amongst the screams of death. I went to Archduke Quenor, who was in the center of it all, mowing down the creatures with overwhelming potency. With a single kick, the Archduke tossed a white wolf off the ramparts and turned to me.

“You’re late.”

“You confined me in a room, then complained I’m late?”

“Yes. You could have laid there until tomorrow, and no one would have said anything.”

“I’m all better, don’t worry about it.”

I frowned and shook off one of the monsters that had crawled up the ramparts. It flailed its limbs in the air but then burst into flames and threw out its final cry.

“But that leaves me with nothing to do, right?”

I doubt they needed me here at all. Daphne, her pink hair flowing in the distance, was pouring out fifth-circle magic. Georg stood steadfastly in his place, swinging his mace to reduce the creature to a pulp, and near them, Marianne leaped across the ramparts, piercing beasts as quick as light.

“There is nothing for you to do.”

The Archduke pointed to the ramparts. Monsters, soldiers, and knights were tangled together, all covered with blood. The soldiers’ spears pierced the creature’s abdomen, and the knights’ swords blew off its head. At the sight, I gripped the hilt of my sword hard.

“Take care not to hit my soldiers.”

“I’ll try my best.”

The Archduke and I turned to face each other and stomped the ground at the same time. The cold breeze of winter brushed my cheeks. As my body moved, I recalled the Archduke’s words.

“Your movements and fundamentals are good enough that I don’t need to change it. What you need are the details of combat. It’s all about how you use your power.

Sharpen your blade. You have many targets in front of you.

“Your instincts are good, but relying solely on them wastes your potential. Now, observe my movements carefully.”

Restraint. I keep my arm movements to a minimum. I have to act without overexerting my body.

“Wars are not short, Elroy. There is a reason they say you don’t kill a chicken with the same force you would use to kill a cow. Power will be best spent when it is well distributed.”

(The Archduke has taught you something good, use it well.)

I capitalize on the momentum of my run. I casually sliced the first monster’s torso in half. I didn’t exert much effort, but I still dismembered it easily. And just like that, the Snowman, struggling with the soldiers, was dead.

“How dare you, Hero!”

“Are you stealing our thunder?!”

Voices erupted from behind me. I turned my head and gave them a wry smile, then began slicing down the monsters in earnest. I ran and swung my sword wherever I could. I killed, and killed, and killed. I killed at least a hundred monsters in less than two hours.

“…Just as planned.”

I had gathered the attention of every monster in the area. My presence had made me a priority target for elimination. I took a moment to catch my breath as I faced them.

“Kill him first.”

The seemingly intelligent Yeti growled, and with those words, the beasts that had scaled the ramparts were on me in a flash. I slashed, shoved, and dodged all the attacks around me. At one point, I felt my left arm grow heavier. I looked and saw a wolf biting on my shoulder. However, it didn’t pierce my skin as mana covered my body. Then I suddenly saw a spear infused with holy power stabbing through the wolf.

“Hero, are you okay?”

I couldn’t help but grin as I jumped backward. Marianne’s Holy Spear pierced two more monsters behind us.

“Good timing, Marianne.”

“I’ll open a path.”

Georg ran in front of me and made space with his mace and shield. The monsters put up no resistance before Georg’s power and were swept away. Then I heard a voice behind me.

“Lightning bolt.”

Daphne’s magic struck the last of the yeti’s body. It let out a cry of pain and writhed as she smirked beside me.

“The glory should go to the Hero, right?”

“…You’re embarrassing me.”

My legs were still steady as I strode toward the Yeti. It took a single strike to separate its head from the body. The initial onslaught was slowly getting weaker. Their corpses became firewood, fueling the flames. These flames became barricades, preventing them from reaching the ramparts.

“Push!”

The monsters clinging to the walls were slashed and fell. With the sun still shining brightly, I lost track of the time. The sky was colored a deep orange when the battle started, but then it was back to the pale light of morning. I stared at the foul-smelling, burning pile of corpses. Then, as if on cue, the monsters turned and disappeared into the woods.

“Wrap it up. The battle is over for today.”

With the Archduke’s declaration, the soldiers breathed a sigh of relief and cleared from the battlefield. His eyes still burned with intent as he stared at the monsters beyond the walls.

“…We can’t stay on the defensive forever.”

I said, and Archduke Quenor nodded.

“You are right. Once the horizon reaches the citadel, it will be the end. As you say, it will all come crashing down with a single step of the Giant’s foot.”

The Archduke did not call the day’s battle a victory. The soldiers, too, seemed to be on edge.

“When the palace’s reinforcements arrive, it would be best to leave the castle’s defense to them and head out to take down the Giant, but we don’t know if those creatures will behave as we wish.”

Archduke Quenor narrowed his eyes and sighed.

“…Hopefully, our soldiers will not fear the coming of tomorrow.”

***

The monsters would attack every day. We would meet them in the morning and fight them off, and they would retreat into the night after countless sacrifices. The siege lasted for days, but the enemy returned with the same force. There were few casualties in each battle, but they piled up slowly, like clothes in a drizzle.

Ten knights died for every legionnaire who scaled the ramparts. More than a hundred soldiers must have been killed in all. The battle ended earlier than usual that day. I did not speak to the Archduke that day, even after the skirmish.

The night began to draw nearer and nearer to the land. The sun, which has been up all day, is starting to cast a shadow over the afternoon. It was only a couple of hours away.

“…Don’t you think it’s getting a little cold?”

One night after the battle. The soldiers leaned against the ramparts, shivering from the unexpected chill. The stench of the monsters still lingered in their minds.

“I wonder how much longer we’ll have to endure this.”

I could hear the soldiers muttering. I walked over to our huddled party and sat against the wall.

“This is a different feeling from the Kraken,” I said, “It felt like we were facing an incoming storm. Now, it feels like we’re being slowly suffocated.”

Georg stuck out his tongue and shook his head.

“They say they’ll open the gates when reinforcements arrive. Then we’ll go after the Giant’s head though I doubt the beasts will wait until then.”

Daphne was leaning against the ramparts, dozing; she must be exhausted after days of frantically consuming mana. Marianne was still awake, but her face was equally tired. Just then, a chill ran up my spine. I jumped out of my seat with a strange sense of vertigo. I’d felt this feeling before.

It was in the vision of the crown of thorns.

“Elroy?”

Then suddenly, the world shook, and the soldiers and knights resting against the ramparts jumped to their feet, sounding the alarm. I approached the edge of the wall and looked out into the forest.

“…Damn it.”

Beyond the curtain of smoke, I saw a silhouette looming above.