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The Verde Forest was constantly wrapped in dense mana.
A world of monsters where humans never approached.
The arm of the king who ruled that paradise had been lost.
The other day, a group of humans appeared in the forest.
The lawless ones who advanced through the forest as if it belonged to them killed his subordinates one after another, and paradise became a sea of blood.
The Ogre King, a special existence from birth and the master of the forest.
If things were done so freely like this, there was no way he could remain silent, and he attacked those despicable humans.
A barrier from a human with a strange presence and attacks using advanced magic.
Although all of them were powers unimaginable from inferior species called humans, they could not become a threat to the king, the Ogre King.
They were meaningless against the strong body that had survived within the dense mana covering the forest—except for the single crimson shining slash.
Because of the pain he experienced for the first time since birth, his composure was lost and he rampaged throughout the forest.
When his consciousness returned, he noticed that one of his arms had been cut off, he realized it.
For the arm of a kingly being to be taken by inferior humans—such a thing must not happen.
If it was taken, then it would be taken back.
—He would attack the country of the humans.
He gathered all the monsters existing in the forest.
An elite among elites that could not be compared with the monsters of the outside world.
With his army, he would trample the humans.
First he would target a nearby town, and eventually he would take revenge on that swordsman who severed his arm.
He would take everything from the humans around him and their families as well.
He would make them regret it without fail.
The Ogre King driven by revenge.
Just when he was about to move the army, he felt a single presence.
A sound and smell that did not exist in the forest.
—This belonged to a human!
He led his army in order to trample the fool who had stepped in again with shoes on.
What entered his sight was a single human riding something smaller than the carriage from the other day.
“Oo, ooOO!”
The Ogre King and his subordinates appeared before the human as if blocking the carriage’s path.
Perhaps frightened, the carriage had stopped.
Unlike the humans from the other day, there was only one.
Crushing just this single life would not satisfy his revenge, but that did not mean he would overlook it.
He would make the intruder regret entering his country without permission and kill him.
Just when the Ogre King was thinking about how to torment him, the human opened his mouth.
“What are you guys? You’re in the way, disappear.”
The subordinates could not understand what had been said.
But the Ogre King, who possessed superior intelligence, understood it.
This human was insulting them.
“OoooOOOOOOOOOO!!”
“Don’t open your mouth. Your stench will spread.”
“!?”
Even in front of such a large army, the arrogant attitude did not change.
Was he a reckless fool who did not value his life, or simply an idiot?
However, the reason did not matter.
One who looked down on the king could not be allowed to live.
By the Ogre King’s command, the monsters rushed the human all at once.
The diverse elites living in the forest bared their fangs at the inferior species.
—Sink into the depths of despair and die.
He closed his red eyes and waited for the death cries.
—The suffering of humans was the supreme moment.
The advance of his army would begin here.
“?”
No matter how long he waited, the human’s scream did not reach his ears.
Instead, what reached his nose was the smell of death.
For some reason, the smell of his comrades’ blood drifted through the surroundings.
“So monsters also escape from reality… well, whatever.”
A human voice that should not be heard.
When he opened his eyes thinking that should not be possible, the Ogre King’s vision was filled with red.
An army exceeding a hundred had been erased in an instant.
—A monster. This… cannot be won against.
It did not even become a match.
He understood it before fists even met.
The difference in rank as living beings.
From there the judgment was quick.
He sent all remaining troops toward the monster and the Ogre King ran.
Toward the depths of the forest.
The screams of his subordinates entered his ears, but he did not look back.
This was a necessary sacrifice.
If he, the king, survived then opportunities would surely come.
—As long as he did not forget this humiliation until that time.
“Hey… what are you doing?”
The human from before appeared ahead as if blocking the road.
The human who should have been fighting the monster army was somehow in front of him.
Without a single stain on his body.
“GwoOOOOOOOOOO!!”
Did he kill all the subordinates in this moment?
His mind understood it as impossible, but instinct rejected it.
Even if he turned his back and ran now, this monster would surely pursue him.
—Then it must be finished here.
He raised the powerful arm that could not capture the swordsman and swung it toward the monster in front of him.
At that time it was avoided because another human supported him.
In contrast, the human before him was alone.
—At this distance it could not miss.
“What’s wrong? Is it already over?”
The human who should have been before him vanished, and a voice of contempt came from behind.
The delayed pain made him roll on the ground.
Even the remaining arm had been cut off.
“!? GgigyyaaOOOOOOOOOO!?”
He did not see it.
He lost his arm without even realizing it had been avoided.
“Is there nothing else? …Just trash that only has appearance.”
A single slash as they passed each other.
A sword faster than that swordsman.
The anger the King Ogre held had turned into fear before he noticed.
The monster in front of him began weaving magic.
A death mana denser than the mana-filled forest.
Terror made him try to run, but his legs froze and would not move.
“See you. Pitiful beast. —Neverest.”
A gigantic frozen sword stretched toward the sky as if piercing out of the ground.
The body that did not yield to the magic of the humans he fought before was mercilessly pierced by the ice sword.
The Ogre King, whose heart was pierced without the slightest deviation, lost consciousness there.
“A one-armed monster… did some fools fail to finish it off?”
Luke and squad members Skinny and Nahal were working on reconstruction in the regional city Osten.
They were taking a break in between.
“…”
“Huh? What’s wrong, Luke?”
“Are you feeling sick? Then why don’t you rest a bit. It’ll be fine with just us.”
Skinny frowned at Nahal’s words.
Not because he had complaints, but because he was a little angry at Luke for pushing himself too hard.
“No, that’s not it. It’s just…”
Luke explained that he had a bad premonition.
“…I’ve heard that intuition like that should be valued. Should we report it to the regimental commander?”
“Forget it. Even if we told that guy, he’d just laugh and it’d end there. …Checking with necromancy would still be better.”
“Let’s get back to work. Let’s do what we can now…”
A carriage engraved with the ducal house crest traveled along the highway.
The luxurious carriage carrying six people headed toward the Finis Domain.
“This really is normal. I’ve had enough of that forest.”
Van drove the horses with relief from the driver’s seat.
Even the horses seemed relieved somehow.
After safely leaving the Verde Forest, Van and the others resumed travel after camping.
“…We were able to shortcut quite a bit. A bargain.”
A faint voice lacking emotion came from inside the carriage.
It was Atri, who had consumed most of her mana in the previous battle and was not yet fully recovered.
She had been exhausted enough to be excused from night watch, but she seemed a little better now.
“How pathetic. Where did the brave swordsman who confronted the Ogre King go?”
“…That wasn’t my power alone. That sword only worked because everyone supported me.”
Van, who showed the greatest achievement by breaking the monsters’ fighting spirit.
The swordsman who repelled a powerful enemy of subjugation difficulty A or higher showed no arrogance.
Because he knew there were still those above him.
“What’s wrong, Van? You’ve become quite humble.”
“…Heartbreak made a boy into a man.”
“Hey, seriously stop it! How long are you going to keep doing this!?”
Eris and Atri’s joking continued as usual.
From Van’s perspective it was troublesome, but the result was a peaceful atmosphere within the party.
“Seriously… you’d become humble whether you like it or not. That guy could probably handle it alone.”
“…It’s frightening how easily that can be imagined.”
“Right? He might be conquering the forest alone and smiling wickedly.”
Van looked slightly disturbed at Eris’s wry smile.
Perhaps it was not entirely wrong.
“Well then everyone, let’s confirm our objective again.”
Everyone focused their attention at Glanz’s words.
“We are heading to the Finis Domain in order to treat Masfelt-san, Van-san’s grandfather who collapsed from the strange disease ‘Mana Sclerosis’.”
Masfelt Freak, the Sword Saint, called the strongest swordsman in the nation and the strongest in history.
Van’s journey began to save his grandfather and teacher.
“Even the excellent priests of the Maria Church could not remove Masfelt-san’s illness.”
When he rushed back after hearing the news while traveling as a member of the Freak Trading Company, Masfelt had already lost consciousness.
“The answer we reached was the boy who overcame ‘Mana Sclerosis’ five years ago and the special medicine that triggered it.”
The key to that medicine was the poison dragon Basilisk.
A dangerous monster and a rare species with few numbers.
They gathered information while accepting requests at the Adventurers’ Guild to find it.
“In the end we could not obtain the medicine, but we encountered something even greater.”
Holy Arts said to be a miracle of God.
A miracle that overturns all misfortune as long as life remains.
A transcendent power possessed only by the royal family with silver hair and several cardinal-class members of the Maria Church.
Regardless of various intentions, they succeeded in obtaining cooperation.
“Ciel-san, may we leave it to you?”
“Yes. That is why I am here.”
The Silver Saintess nodded firmly.
She was only one year older than Van.
He wondered if he could become someone as reliable as Ciel in one year.
It felt like the difference in resolve was being shown.
“…Ciel, thank you. In the end we’re relying on you.”
“Van-san, I heard roughly about your story until now. Because you never gave up, the future connected. I believe this meeting is not coincidence.”
At first he was alone.
When he despaired because his family would not cooperate, Atri stayed beside him.
Eris, the adventurer he reunited with while gathering information on unexplored dungeons.
She always looked forward and sometimes scolded him harshly.
“My Holy Arts do not exist for the country or the ducal house. It is power gained to turn sorrow into joy.”
Glanz, the sage possessing unparalleled talent and wisdom.
He reminded Van of something important he had forgotten.
He supported them from behind and guided them this far.
“In the end… let’s smile together.”
Selen and Ciel who had only recently met but crossed deadly battles together.
New companions who felt like they had known each other for years.
“Yeah. Let’s definitely save Gramps. We’ll seize the best future ourselves.”
The journey to save Masfelt.
Once Atri was the only companion, but now many had gathered.
The best companions he could entrust his back to.
No matter the hardship, they could face it—together.
With determination in his heart, Van moved forward.
Once Masfelt was saved, their journey would end.
The carriage of Van and the others moved along the moonlit road.
Countless stars in the sky traced paths through the night.
“I think we should stop soon.”
“No, it’s fine. It’s pretty bright today… and I remember this road. We’re almost there.”
Van could not suppress his impatience.
He had traveled this road many times to visit Masfelt.
Every second mattered.
Now that they had come this far, he would push through even if it meant forcing it.
Everything besides the treatment could be thought about later.
“!? Everyone brace for impact!”
Ciel suddenly deployed a barrier.
A shock and explosion followed.
The horses stopped in surprise.
“This is Magic Missile… which means—”
“Ahaha, you figured it out!”
Selen made a bitter face at the familiar voice.
Ciel also looked serious.
“Who’s there! Show yourself… a kid?”
A strange figure floating in the night appeared.
Van was confused by the child-like attacker.
“Don’t relax. That’s an enemy… Pariaach, was it?”
At Selen’s words everyone jumped out of the carriage and prepared for battle.
“You… Feluart. Why now?”
“Yo. Long time no see.”
The young man with blazing red hair standing beside Pariaach smiled boldly.
“Feluart… why are you—no, forget it. We’re in a hurry.”
“To treat the dying Sword Saint? You’re still doing something useless without giving up…”
Van reacted to the words Sword Saint.
He drew his sword and gathered mana.
“Sorry Van. I don’t have a grudge against you or the Sword Saint. I’ve never even met him.”
“…Then move. This won’t end as a joke.”
Killing intent overflowed.
Heat-filled mana gathered around Van.
Pariaach narrowed his eyes and smiled.
“I get it Van. I was the same. Losing precious family hurts, right?”
Feluart looked at the starry sky with a sorrowful expression.
“But—this can’t be helped. Everything is already decided.”
“I’ll ask once. What exactly is decided?”
“—The Sword Saint will die. It’s an unavoidable fate.”
Van was about to charge in anger.
A hand gently touched his shoulder.
Glanz’s calm eyes cooled his anger.
“You said fate. On what basis do you say that, Feluart-san?”
“At your level you must have felt the inconsistency before. This is a conveniently created world. The Sword Saint dies. —Oops Van, don’t act like you’re the only tragic heroine. There are many others.”
“It’s useless Feluart. He doesn’t look like he’s listening.”
Glanz stepped forward in front of Van.
“You… are not human, are you?”
“So you noticed. That’s right. Unlike you, I’m special.”
Ancient mana flowed from Pariaach.
Glanz showed caution.
A magic formula appeared on Feluart’s face and flames wrapped his body.
“Can you change it? The rotten future?”
“Gramps won’t die. So… I’ll cut you down and move forward.”
“Then show me, Van! Show me your flames!”
Van’s Scarlet Sword and Feluart’s raging flames collided.
That became the signal for battle.
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