Inheriting the Novel

Chapter 32 : Toward the Empire (2)

Toward the Empire (2)

'Monster!'

Who would have thought that simply getting away from Monet would lead me to encounter a monster this quickly?

Moreover, those red gleaming eyes and that rattling body.

It was unmistakably a Skeleton, one of the undead-type monsters.

The most notable trait of undead monsters is their faint presence, making it difficult to notice their approach.

Just like right now.

Clatter! Clatter!

As the thing drew close enough, it charged at us, wielding a rusty sword.

"Count? Why aren't you saying anyth— Ah!"

As the Skeleton approached, Floria must have sensed its presence; she reached for her sword at her waist.

But I acted one step ahead of her.

Bang!

"Uh?"

As a small popping sound echoed, as if something had burst, half of the Skeleton's head disappeared.

Floria stared quizzically at the Skeleton as it slowly toppled backward.

"... What happened just now? A Skeleton doesn't die unless its core is destroyed."

She cautiously approached the fallen Skeleton.

Surprisingly, the Skeleton's head wasn't merely destroyed. It had melted grotesquely, as if doused in a potent acid.

Floria looked quite confused by a sight she had never witnessed before.

'Could Divine Blood possibly be effective even on undead monsters?'

[Isn't that obvious? What do you think would happen if you poured holy water on an undead monster?]

As Grancesia said, that was certainly true.

'Right, if it can easily melt the flesh of an intermediate-rank demonkin, a Skeleton is nothing...'

Undead-type monsters always have a core inside, which serves as the basis of their vitality.

In the Skeleton's case, the core is in its skull.

I intended to use blood needle on the Skeleton's head and destroy the core, but this worked out even better than expected.

"How did you do that? Please expl—!"

"Sir Hersel, maybe keep an eye on our surroundings first?"

"Oh...!"

At last Floria seemed to notice the many red eyes glowing in the dark forest.

Normally, low-rank monsters like Skeletons don't move alone. They travel in groups, and there's always a leader present.

Raising her sword, Floria spoke while keeping a watchful eye around us.

"Come to think of it, there have always been reports of undead monsters appearing around here."

"And yet you still chose to travel this way?"

"There haven't been any particularly strong monsters, after all."

True enough, when Sword Expert-ranked knights move en masse, most monsters are no longer a real problem.

'But these aren't just any monsters, are they? There's a Skeleton King too?'

That's quite a troublesome monster. At minimum, it takes a intermediate-rank Sword Expert to bring one down.

What's more, a few Skeleton Warriors could be seen nearby.

"We should probably retreat. If we get surrounded, it'll be dangerous!"

Floria spoke urgently.

A Skeleton King, three or four Skeleton Warriors, and a whole lot of regular Skeletons.

It was definitely a dangerous situation.

If not for my presence.

"Sir Hersel."

"Yes, Count. If we just dash between those trees in the rear, I think we ca—"

"Didn't you ask me earlier how I beheaded that demonkin?"

"What?"

Floria's eyes went wide at my unexpected comment.

Seeing her reaction, I smirked as I took a step forward.

Then I drew my sword from my waist and held it horizontally. A red current rippled along the blade.

"W-What is that? Why is your blade red?"

Floria exclaimed in astonishment, staring at my suddenly crimson sword.

I grinned at her and replied,

"House Vanhart's secret sword technique, Crimson Blade."

[Secret technique? More like you just made it up now.]

I ignored Grancesia's words.

Right now, the important thing was to subjugate the monsters in front of me.

* * *

The first time Floria Hersel heard rumors about Clay Vanhart was when she traveled to the capital of the Talua Kingdom for the Empire's Founding Festival.

"I heard there's a knight who beheaded a demonkin in this war?"

"They say he's the scion of House Vanhart."

As the victory parade drew near, his name came up all the more often, and Floria couldn't help but be curious about this knight who had supposedly slain a demonkin.

But the Clay Vanhart she actually met was a huge disappointment.

'He's only just reached the level of Sword Expert, hasn't he?'

Maybe the rumors about slaying a demonkin were heavily exaggerated?

There was also talk of him getting into a dispute at a banquet and dueling the next day.

The knights he'd defeated apparently had some reputation, so it was a bit surprising.

'Is he hiding his actual skill?'

If that was the case, his claim of defeating a demonkin could make some sense.

So she decided to wait for a chance to ask directly—and today, that opportunity had come.

While gathering firewood, Floria had, half-testing, asked Clay how he had killed an intermediate-rank demonkin.

It didn't really matter if he told the truth; with any answer, she could at least gauge the truth by his reaction.

But she got his answer in a way she never expected.

'So easily...!'

The Skeletons that appeared in a group melted and lost their form just from making contact with Clay's sword.

The same went for the Skeleton Warriors.

Granted, they weren't particularly strong monsters, but they certainly weren't so easily dispatched.

But the most astounding was the Skeleton King.

A single stroke.

Clay swung his sword vertically, slicing the Skeleton King apart with a single blow.

The bones of a Skeleton King are as hard as steel. It's not easy to cut them unless you charge your blade with an impressive amount of magic power.

Yet Clay took the Skeleton King down with a single casual strike.

"Sir Hersel, are you unharmed?"

"Ah... Y-yes."

"Then let's hurry and gather firewood and head back. Count Ribina will worry."

"Y-yes, understood."

Clay's nonchalant demeanor only made the shock she felt greater.

As if this kind of situation was nothing to him.

'He was definitely hiding his strength.'

The swordsmanship Clay had just shown was not at a level a low-rank Sword Expert could display.

'This year's Founding Festival...'

Four years ago, Talua Kingdom had taken second place at the Empire's tournament, but up till then, they couldn't even claim to be good with empty words.

Though called the kingdom of knights, Talua had yet to produce a knight to dominate the continent—and that remained unchanged.

'There may be an upheaval.'

But this year's Founding Festival would be different.

Floria was sure of it.

* * *

After that, Floria and I gathered firewood and returned without further incident.

The whole way back to the camp, she hardly spoke to me, seeming lost in deep thought.

'I thought she might start talking about me everywhere...'

After one night at the campsite, the group immediately set off for the Magic Tower.

As Count Ribina said, it didn't take long to reach the Magic Tower, and we were able to teleport straight to the Empire via a magic array.

It took exactly two days to get this far.

[This place really changes more every day.]

'You've been here before?'

[The Altair Order has a presence here, too.]

She was right, of course.

I raised my head and gazed at the capital of the Asktalin Empire, Draig.

'It's been a while.'

I had been here once, a long time ago.

For the Empire's New Year Festival.

I'd come in my father's stead, and here I had met her.

The imperial princess of the Empire, Riya Asktalin.

"For today, you are free to wander about as you please. Just don't return too late."

Count Ribina smiled gently as he addressed our group touring the capital.

At his gentle tone, Zelbin winced, but the others looked excited to explore the city.

"I heard Draig has a famous blacksmith's shop. It might be nice to visit."

"I agree. I was thinking of buying a new dagger, actually."

Alex Shane and Eric Pedro had grown quite friendly, sharing conversation as they quickly disappeared.

Only I, Zelbin, and Floria remained.

However, Floria also disappeared before long, as if she had other business.

"Count Clay, where is Miss Monet?"

"Monet should be with the other servants, moving my luggage to the lodging."

"Ah, right."

I hadn't meant it, but left alone with Zelbin, things felt awkward.

Though we'd gotten pretty close, Zelbin wasn't much of a conversationalist—he tended to just agree with whatever I said, usually with short answers.

In the end, I made an excuse about having errands and went off on my own.

I felt a little bad leaving Zelbin by himself, but it couldn't be helped.

[Want me to recommend a famous eatery in Draig?]

"If it still exists, sure."

[Oh.]

Only then did Grancesia seem to realize it had been several hundred years since she'd last visited.

If the place she remembered was still open, it'd be a restaurant with a centuries-old tradition.

"More importantly, I need to check on something first."

[What? Didn't you just make up an excuse about errands?]

"As if. I'm not someone who says things I don't mean."

[...]

"Why aren't you answering?"

[A saint can't tell a lie.]

"You said you hated being called a saint."

Bantering aimlessly with Grancesia, I went into a nearby shop and sat down.

Not that I had any real business at the shop—I just needed a place to kill time.

"Do you remember why I even came here in the first place?"

[Aha.]

Only then did Grancesia seem to recall.

The true reason I decided to participate in the Empire's tournament wasn't just for the various benefits—it was because I had business in the Empire's capital.

"Time to check."

My words sounded relaxed, but inside, I was tense.

If, contrary to expectation, Fabian didn't come here, everything could become much more complicated.

Nervously, I opened 'Synopsis'.

"... There it is."

Fortunately, a new episode had been registered in the Synopsis.

However.

[There are five episodes currently available for viewing.]

There were a whopping five episodes available.

And judging by the subtitles, every single one looked anything but normal.

The one that caught my eye in particular...

'So, it's here after all.'

I'd always thought it would show up eventually, but I never expected to see it appear right now.

[Chapters 84–92, 'The First Calamity'.]

The place where protagonist Fabian first recognizes and faces what is known as a "calamity".

That place was none other than the capital of the Asktalin Empire, Draig.