Chapter 20

Chapter 20

3. And so the story begins. (4)

#4 Their story: Aruen Roods story

Ahhhh. I dont want to work. I really really dont want to. But reality is cruel.

The objective is Instructor Naruan.

Ah, I dont want to have anything to do with that human anymore.

To think I have to crawl back to the man who beat the crap out of me so much in primary training.

And worse, hes an enemy this time. Knowing the instructor theres no way hed come peacefully, and if I harmed so much as a hair on his head then that girl Sia would definitely drive a few knives into my stomach without hesitation.

Actually, I dont know what the male Sia in Internal Affairs, Maren would do either.

The Intelligence Agency is scary but Internal Affairs isnt a lightweight either.

If they cut down on the budget for arrows just a tiny bit then wed have only five arrows instead of ten.

Im scared. The fanatics are scary, the person himself is scary. If hes carrying around just one of those damned magic weapons then all my will to fight vanishes instantly.

How much of our troops are we bringing along?

The damn vice-captain keeps asking me. Even if we look like this wed at least be more than a match for your average knight order.

All members are capable of using sword ki. If the squad leaders were given the time then some of them could even hit the swordsmaster level, theyre that skilled.

Well, according to the instructor only the ones that can do it would do it. You could say that they could die always at the precipice of becoming a swordsmaster, but if its that level of combat potential then thats already gone beyond the fighting power of a powerful kingdoms knight order.

A small number of elites. The organizations blackened knives.

Bosss swords that exist only to cull the traitors among our allies.

And the leader of that group is me. But still, I hate what I hate. And so.

Get everyone ready.

Everyone?

The instructor said this.

Theres nothing as powerful in a fight as force of numbers. No matter how useless they are they can still be used as a meat shield so use them if you can.

Its a time-honoured tradition that humans can be used just about anywhere as long as they listen to instructions, and unless theres a moron with a pointlessly high title present, take as many people as your logistics team allows.

And so, for a fight against the instructor the right thing to do is to take everyone.

The enemy is Instructor Naruan.

I heard the rumours, but I also heard that he has no mana.

But we could never defeat that person that had no mana, not even once.

Not even captain?

Yes. Let alone 1:1, even when all seven of us rushed him together we never earned a single victory.

To be honest I cant even beat him with pure swordplay alone either, but that gap can be made up with magic.

But the instructors magic weapon surpasses all imagination.

To begin with, if you get hit then thats one out already.

Just as we got used to that another one showed up. And if you get hit by that then thats not just a simple out.

My body was definitely swimming in the River Styx but my soul remained in the land of the living and accepting the torment.

It doesnt even make sense. The body says its going to die and so its going to go die but the soul and consciousness stays in the land of the living and keeps feeling the beating!

Its not something anyone could possibly imagine without experiencing it.

To add insult to injury even after being hit by that pain your body wakes up the next morning feeling almost refreshed!

I guarantee it. If you would compare it to the demons where the demon gods apostles are chosen to become the next demon king, not even the demon gods blessing where a hundred out of a hundred die screaming in pain would get anywhere near the pain of that magic weapon.

At least that thing has the decency to kill you? This thing wont even let you die.

And so, using all the surveillance options I had available, I confirmed whether the instructor had the bat on him.

The result, in the case of the bat, Reins currently in possession of it and is diligently beating the crap out of our juniors.

Hmm. I kinda envy him.

And as for the most important metal bat, the instructor said he left it in his office. Considering he said its an educational tool, he doesnt seem to take it out on assignments.

Just in case I checked another 25 times. This is important after all.

Going over the mission again. Our job is to capture the instructor alive, and take him to the promised location. Since there is the possibility that the Empires forces could attack us after we hand the instructor over, take caution.

Thats what Im saying, but I still fear the instructor. I suppose the same went for the rest of our cohort.

Our fear of the metal bat in particular even created the miracle of our entire cohort graduating a year early after all.

Was there ever a time in my life where I felt as powerless, despairing, shivering in fear as I desired death?

He was always the weakest among us.

Youre that confident, and yet you bring the entirety of the Darksword on me?

I was taught to prepare for the worst even if the probability of victory was over 90%.

Even as I talked I signaled to my subordinates.

Although I didnt move, my subordinates started drawing their swords, lifting their spears, each of them pulled out their weapon and crept closer to him.

Very good. If anything happens then theyd be the first to suffer.

Magic?

Werent we told Instructor Naruan couldnt use magic?!

Do not be alarmed and attack!

My surprised subordinates started to run in, but unlike them, I was stepping backwards.

No. The instructor couldnt possibly use magic. But, could it be. that

C, could it be

Come Arcadia.

This is a trap! This has to be the instructors trap!

But the silver club in his hands is definitely the thing I know.

Definitely, the instructor pulled it out of thin air as if he had used magic.

Was it a lie that he couldnt use magic until now? Wait, before that did that mean that thing was not an illusion but the real deal?

Kuaaaaaaaaaaaghhh!!!

Kuooooooooooook!

Uuuk uwwaaaaa

But the moment the first swords collided with that magic weapon I realised that was the real thing.

The absolute magic weapon where evasion was the only way to survive, the thing that sword ki wouldnt even leave a scratch on, and on the contrary, the magic weapon that would cause one to scream in an unknown realm of pain as it rode down through the end of the weapon and into your body, there was only one weapon in the world that could do that.

Not even the demon gods arms that the demon king is said to use would be that awful.

Only the magic weapon of the evil god who threatened the downfall of the world would be able to compare to it.

No, perhaps incomparable even to that!

Dodge, dodge! You may not even make contact with that magic weapon!

I shout a command, but its not as easy as it sounds. The instructors close combat skills are legendary within the organization.

Even if he was slightly older than the average new trainee, during their first practical training expedition as a tertiary trainee, his cohort came across a group of ten orcs, whereupon they all fell into a panic. The tale that he whipped them into formation and cut down all ten orcs then and there are still whispered among the trainees like a legend.

Even though it hadnt been more than a few years since he started learning the sword, and not even normal orcs, but ten Orc Warriors!

Isnt that like some tale of a swordsmasters past that youd only ever find in story books!

That instructor has the unblockable invincible magic weapon in his hand. Were already screwed. Running away is the answer.

-All archers are to fire at will, cover the retreat of the injured!

Didnt you say that you couldnt use magic?

Lets buy time with words. Thirty of us are down already. Lets save my life with my mouth as I run away.

Thats right. But that can be solved if Im not the one using magic.

Thats impossible!

No, it can. What if this thing was an Ego Weapon?

Lies!

But the one who was shocked was me. What disgusting magic weapon like that had an ego!

What is an ego!

A living miracle of a soul being infused into a weapon. Is it not a weapon where even the dwarves might make one once a millennium or so?

All that remained were rumours that they might be in a dragons lair or one of the imperial treasures was one, in the last 1000 years, aside from the sword the legendary hero used there was not a single case of an ego weapon appearing.

No, none of thats important, but why did have to be that devils weapon, no, the evil gods weapon that had to have an Ego!

Then first, you need a beating.

N, no way!

I dodged the first strike by throwing my sword which was said to be a warriors life, and turning back on my fallen comrades I started to escape.

Yes way.

And that escape ended in the very next strike.