I Tried To Be Her Loyal Sword

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19th Day

The winter in the North is harsh. As the sun sets, the wind grows fiercer, bringing snow with it. Snow begins to accumulate on the ground.

Even in the deepening shroud of night, I slowly closed my eyes amidst the sounds of tossing and turning echoing from various quarters.

The sight of Lujou Village that the knights living in the capital had seen today must have been shocking. Perhaps many would find it hard to sleep tonight.

Thud.

“Is it really alright to be on guard for two days straight?”

Among those vigilantly watching the morning sun, it seems one of them is a knight. Kale, who showed no signs of sleepiness, threw a blanket over my shoulder and handed me a cup. It was warm milk steaming with vapor. Snowflakes landed on top of the milk.

‘Ugh.’

Looking at the snow sent shivers down my spine.

I hated snow. Its endless pure whiteness that devours everything was unpleasant to me. As I forced my crumpled face into order, I turned my gaze elsewhere.

It was meaningless, considering the snow surrounded me everywhere.

“As I said, sword masters don’t die just because they miss a bit of sleep—it’s more reasonable for me to be on guard.”

I accepted the cup with a brief word of thanks and took a sip. The fragrant honey mixed with the creamy milk danced in my mouth.

‘Tsk.’

Kale sat down next to me.

Staring quietly at the white snowflakes blanketing the world, I glanced sideways at him. After checking on the critical patients, he had entered his barracks without saying a word, and now his expression was as smooth as if nothing had happened, which was reassuring. As a comfortable silence flowed between us, Kale finally spoke up.

“We’ll be going out to hunt monsters tomorrow.”

“That’s right.”

“I am…”

“Scared of hunting monsters.”

It was an honest confession I never imagined I would hear from the prideful Kale. I listened quietly, surprised he would open up like this.

“I never realized how terrifying monsters could be. I didn’t know they could ruin human lives like this.”

A village hit by a massive monster is left in ruins. It is a disaster.

“How have you faced monsters so far? Haven’t you been scared?”

I glanced up at the sky where the snowflakes were falling. They fell relentlessly, as if the shards of the white sky were about to drown the world.

“……I’m scared. I’m still scared.”

There had never been a moment I wasn’t frightened. My body tensed whenever I grasped my sword, and my heart raced with fear when facing a monster. How could I not be afraid of confronting a disaster?

“However, there’s something I fear even more than my own death.”

But there were things I had to protect, regardless of my fear.

I slowly smiled back at Kale, who was staring at me intently.

“It’s normal to be scared. If you’re feeling unwell, just say you are and back off.”

Kale looked surprised at my words urging him to give up. He seemed to think I’d offer him encouragement or motivational words.

While I could have given him grand stories from my experiences or elaborate advice, I didn’t want to go that route.

Since childhood, I had to confront fear head-on. Whether I fled from a fight or lost a battle, death was inevitable; thus, I had no choice but to win in battle to survive. There was always only one option.

A life that only walks the righteous path strengthens a person but also dries them out.

“If you’re scared, just run away. You can do that, right?”

I hoped my other sibling wouldn’t have to live a life like that. He had the option to avoid fighting, so if he was afraid, I’d just wish for him to run away.

Kale stared at me intently. Feeling the atmosphere sinking, I forced a playful smile.

“You can handle yourself well, so don’t worry. I’ll finish this swiftly, and you can rest.”

In jest, I saw a strange smile creep onto Kale’s face.

“Now this is interesting.”

“What?”

He shook his head, his usual serious expression replaced with something lighter.

“It’s nothing. Thanks to you, I feel fine now.”

His voice was firm, entirely unlike moments before when he seemed weak. I looked at him with slight concern.

“……Are you really okay?”

“Yeah. I’m not scared anymore.”

As he brushed off the snow resting atop his head and then dusted off the snowflakes that stuck to my hat, he smiled brightly.

“You’re strong enough to protect me, right?”

I had never said I would protect him.

Swallowing my playful reply, I smiled back at him. He really was something else.

The upcoming monster hunt was scheduled to take place midway through the forest, where powder would be sprinkled to block the northern monsters’ invasion, and then we’d hunt only those monsters within the boundary. In the long term, this method seemed better than a haphazard approach.

The party was organized into my squad and Kale’s squad. Kale was in my group. Our two mages activated monster detection magic as we started making our way east.

The ensuing hunt was a continuous series of events I was quite familiar with.

“I have a sword master for a father. I’ve seen numerous knights, but…”

Kale muttered, his expression weary.

“A guy like you who swings a sword will be the only one in my life.”

I took a bite of the rice ball in front of the campfire and sneezed. A white puff of breath rose in the cold air. I huddled tighter against the biting chill, tilting my head.

“What’s it like to swing a sword like you?”

“It’s like a berserk warrior crazed by blood, with no defense, just pouring attacks without any respect, no order, and no rules—just mad swordsmanship.”

His answer was sharp. I shrugged as I glanced at Kale, whose expression was one of irritation, while the others looked astonished, as if they couldn’t believe the scenes they had witnessed before.

“Well, I’ve never learned proper swordsmanship.”

My sword was strictly for survival. Believing that the best defense is a strong offense, I wielded it with the intent to slice through, knowing death awaited if I didn’t kill first.

I decided to slash to protect, and a swordsman’s life inevitably lingered on that sword.

“Besides, no one got hurt, right?”

I shook my aching shoulder.

In fact, this hunt did lean towards overexertion compared to the usual pace. With the incident of Aria going to Count Freya’s house approaching, I had to hurry back, and I was also tense about the unfamiliar group hunt.

‘…I don’t want to see anyone get hurt.’

Every encounter faced massive monsters that were far from easy foes. While their slashing claws only grazed me due to my mana, the other knights and mages would face critical injuries if struck.

‘It’d be better for me to get hurt and end this.’

Each time a monster appeared, I pulled people behind me while swinging my sword at the monsters alone. It meant no one got hurt, but taking on the responsibility of protecting everyone in quick succession was wearing on my body.

“Fool…”

Kale grumbled irritably. His eyes held a hint of concern contrary to his usual stoic demeanor. I recalled the Kale from last night, who confessed to being scared, and I frowned slightly.

“Are you doing okay, sir?”

“See for yourself.”

Kale replied nonchalantly. He looked just as unscathed as he was when he entered the forest.

“Thanks to the Duke’s magic, we could finish quickly. It was impressive.”

“Don’t flatter me.”

Kale reprimanded me sharply, but his expression brightened noticeably. Watching him, I had to stifle the laugh that threatened to break.

While it was a form of flattery to tell him to stop nagging, I wasn’t lying either.

‘What a show of talent just now…’

I recalled the moment when he showcased his talent during the hunt. The bigger the target, the harder it became to activate mind control magic, and manipulating a monster devoid of reason was said to be incredibly challenging.

‘Stop.’

Kale adeptly manipulated the massive monsters. Numerous magic circles appeared under his light hand gestures, enveloping the monsters and slowing their movements. It was easy to take down the monsters ensnared by his control.

“If you’ve had enough rest, let’s start preparing to head in. Tomorrow we just have to sprinkle powder a bit further, and then we can hunt the monsters close to the village.”

I quickly checked the area as it grew dark and began to pack up. It was best to head to bed early if we were to be active again tomorrow. As it had been today, I stood guard.

‘There shouldn’t be any issues.’

Despite the nation, I gripped my sword tightly, feeling a bit nervous.

Camping in the forest inhabited by monsters was on an entirely different level of danger than camping in the mountains or the village. Having narrowly escaped death from monster attacks multiple times, I couldn’t help but remain on high alert.

The winter night in the North was exceptionally harsh. I sniffled my stuffy nose as snowflakes brushed against my cheeks, glancing up at the sky. The snow that had stopped in the morning was again attempting to blanket the world.

‘…I hate this.’

To be honest, I felt nauseous. I despised winter, which evoked dark nightmares, and I loathed the snow.

Suppressing the rising nausea, I tried to clear my mind and focus solely on my guard duty. Then suddenly, a gentle breeze brushed against my cheek. Riding that wind was a familiar fragrance that tickled my nose.

It was then that I could almost smile a little.

“Isn’t using high-level magic like flight magic a waste of talent in a place like this?”

“My talent is at a level where I can afford such extravagance.”

His arrogant tone blended with a calm voice. As I watched the figure flying to the tree across from where I sat, I smiled gently. His red eyes shining with a soft light were Kale.

“You were up late last night too. Today is cold as well. You should go inside and rest.”

“If you rest, I’ll rest too.”

“I need to stand guard. You should rest well, sir.”

“If you don’t rest, then I won’t either.”

We had a brief tug-of-war, but eventually, I gave in to Kale’s stubbornness. He had stayed up late to talk with me last night, and although I was worried, I couldn’t force him when he was being that obstinate. I forgot my dislike of winter and snow and shared some light-hearted conversation with Kale.

And then disaster struck, as it always does, without warning.

Ding—

As I sensed something getting caught in one of the threads sensing the aura I had sprinkled around, my instincts sharpened.

“…….Mir?”

I was momentarily stiffened by the sound of my own voice, and Kale looked at me curiously, but I had no time to pay him any mind. A chill coursed through me, and my fur stood on end.

‘The scent.’

It was too familiar yet utterly loathed. The smell of decaying flesh mixed with thick blood, a foul and revolting stench intertwined with the scent of magic.

‘There’s one, no…’

It was far too strong. It was definitely not the pressure a single creature could produce.

They were coming in hordes.

“Mir! Pull yourself together! Are you okay!?”

Kale, leaping across the tree branches with flight magic, landed directly on the branch right in front of me and shook my shoulder. I met his gaze, only to see a blurry haze through my shaking eyes.

‘My brother.’

Though we had only known each other for a few days, just a handful of days…

The bond of blood was undeniably strong.

I didn’t want to lose him.

“Sir.”

“Are you okay?”

“Kale.”

“I need you to survive.”

Without warning, I wrapped my arms around Kale’s waist, pulling him into an embrace. His eyes widened in surprise.

“Wh—what!”

I wrapped mana around my feet, leaping into the air.

“Everyone, wake up! A horde of monsters is approaching!”