Angry winds stirred beneath the overcast sky, as though a storm would soon follow. A tattered banner planted in the ground flapped wildly, and broken spears, weapons, and corpses littered the field.

Someone stood alone amid the carnage. His ragged cloak lashed in the wind like the torn banner. The elite soldiers who boasted an undefeated record kept their distance, not one daring to approach him.

Then thunder rumbled across the sky.

At that very moment, the lone man thrust his hammer toward the heavens. Lightning struck him.

KRA-BOOM!

For an instant, the world flashed pure white, and a tremendous explosion rang out. No matter how many times they heard that deafening roar, they could never grow accustomed to it. Everyone squeezed their eyes shut and turned away. When they opened their eyes again and looked at the lone man, their hearts quailed with fear.

How could a human do such a thing? As though he had caught the lightning itself, his hammer blazed with dazzling light, sending out bolts of electricity.

CRACK. CRACKLE. RUMBLE. RUMBLE!

The crackle of electricity and low rolls of thunder spread from that single man. Even his eyes held flashes of light, constantly discharging sparks. He no longer looked human at all. When he shouted, it truly seemed that thunder was crashing right before them, rather than in the heavens far above.

"Come out, Valeri! You cooooward!"

His cry seemed to pound directly against the hearts of those facing him. As they trembled and faltered backward, Valeri stepped out from among the soldiers.

But a girl was beside him. She was shaking with fear, while Valeri stood with an arm draped casually around her shoulders.

At that sight, the lightning the man had held so firmly scattered into nothing. His eyes returned to normal, and his overwhelming presence vanished as though it had never existed.

"Drop your weapon, Thorvald," Valeri said.

A moment later, the man called Thorvald hurled his hammer far away and dropped heavily to his knees, looking utterly desolate. Leaving the girl behind, Valeri walked toward him.

"Y-Your Highness!"

His startled subordinates hurried to stop him, but he continued forward without hesitation.

Reaching Thorvald, Valeri looked down at his bowed head.

"To have such power and waste it on mere carpentry. That is your crime."

Without fully raising his head, Thorvald looked up at Valeri with bitter eyes.

"You wouldn't understand if I told you. Someone like you could die and come back to life and still never understand."

"Whether I understand or not, many lives could have been spared if you had entered my service. All those deaths were caused by your foolishness, not by me."

Thorvald's shoulders shook with a low chuckle at his answer.

"That's precisely why I said you wouldn't understand. Someone who walks by the light of his own nature is neither good nor evil nor foolish. He simply walks his own path."

"You're saying your nature is to do carpentry?"

"Enough talk. Kill me."

"No need even to ask me to spare your granddaughter?"

"While I live, I do what I must. What happens after I die is up to you. What more is there to say?"

His answer sounded detached, but it was not devoid of affection.

"For the record, I didn't bring your granddaughter here by force. She came of her own accord. She seems to love me. Though I'm incapable of love."

"..."

Thorvald gave no answer, whether because he no longer wished to dignify Valeri's words with a response or because he was in despair. In a way, it was a truly cruel thing to say. Especially in circumstances like these.

After a moment's silence, Valeri drew his sword, the blade named Wrath—Gramr. Taking his place beside the kneeling Thorvald to behead him, he said,

"Whatever else I failed to understand, I did understand one thing, Thorvald. That you would gladly die for your granddaughter."

"Shut your mouth and strike!" Thorvald shouted, baring his neck.

Wrath—Gramr fell upon him. His head fell too.

Many of those watching could not believe their eyes. That a man who had unleashed such immense power could die so easily was simply beyond belief.

Thorvald the Thunderbringer. He was not a member of the king's guard, but if one used the name Einherier for all those who possessed superhuman strength, he was indisputably the strongest among them. In other words, he was the strongest man in the world.

He had brought thunder and lightning in his wake, battered four Einheri to death with his hammer, and dominated battlefields as he stood alone against an army. Yet his head had fallen to a prince's blade, all to save a single granddaughter. People could not understand.

What, then, had Valeri himself failed to understand? Perhaps he was beginning to understand it now.

"Wid."

Arne nudged him from beside him. Valeri, who had been looking up at the overcast sky, emerged from his reverie.

"What are you staring at?"

"... Trying to see the first raindrop?"

Dismissing the answer as nonsense, Arne jerked his chin toward something. Valeri turned to find a child holding out a paper-wrapped object. Once he accepted it, the child extended a hand for payment.

"Have you got any money?"

At Valeri's question, Arne gave the child a copper coin on his behalf. The child took the money and ran off.

Valeri unfolded the paper. Something grotesque lay inside—so grotesque that he had to study it for a while before he could even tell what it was.

"Isn't that a pig's nipple?" Skard said from beside him.

Valeri soon realized what it was and simply tossed it onto the ground.

"Those are a real treat roasted. Nice and chewy."

Yorik sounded sorry to see it thrown away.

"Don't you dare eat it."

"Who sends something like that, anyway? What rotten luck."

"You lot should keep a low profile for a while."

"Why, all of a sudden?"

"Don't train inside the citadel for now, either. Go outside. Practice riding or something."

"Why? Is something wrong?"

"When it rains, you take shelter. Look after Knut while I'm gone."

Valeri would soon have to leave on patrol, taking him away from Torvik.

"How are we supposed to be careful if you won't tell us what you're talking about?"

It really was difficult to explain. What excuse could he give for knowing the second young lord was dead? It wasn't that he distrusted his friends, but if he told all three of them the truth, word was bound to get out.

"You'll find out when the time comes. You take care of the gems, Arne."

There were still some gemstones they hadn't sold, so Valeri entrusted them to Arne.

Just then, the first raindrop landed on Valeri's cheek. Rain began to fall.

Rain fell outside the window. With the wooden shutter open, its steady patter drifted in, accompanied by the crackle of logs in the fireplace.

While Valeri idly wondered why rain was so pleasant to listen to, someone entered the annex's operations room. He was a man in his forties, with a long scar cutting across his shaggy beard. His impassive eyes carried the air of a veteran who had seen it all.

He held a large parchment scroll in one hand. Offering the other for a handshake, he said, "Tancred."

"I'm Wid."

Only now were they exchanging names, though they had met before. Tancred had been the first person to speak to Valeri after he moved into the annex—the man who had shown him where the bowls were, asked his age, and complimented his horse.

After hastily clearing the operations table, Tancred spread the large parchment across it. It was a rough map of Duke Sven's directly governed domains: Nordlanding and Krischer. Torvik lay within Nordlanding, and going on patrol meant making the rounds all the way through Krischer as well. That was why Tancred had brought the map.

"Take a look around the east. It's been a while since anyone made the rounds there. The eastern road is relatively safe. You'll need to visit here, here, here, here, and here, but all you need to do is check that people are getting along. Whether there have been attacks by bandits or monsters, whether the rangers are still alive. If the frontier knights or villagers start complaining about their various troubles, just let it go in one ear and out the other. There's nothing you can do for them."

A patrol was exactly that: a look around. Unless there was something seriously out of the ordinary, such as a plague, famine, or fighting, there was no need to get involved in the locals' problems.

"This road is fairly safe, but be careful when you pass through Thunder Forest here. You won't be able to gallop freely. If you encounter any exiles, don't pick a fight. Leave them alone, and they'll leave you alone."

Outside the lands directly administered by lords, rural village communities sometimes punished criminals with banishment. The exiles went to live in forests or mountains, where all manner of things happened.

Some abandoned their humanity and ate human flesh. Some banded together to become brigands. Others established rules of their own and formed new communities. From werewolves to witches who ate children, all the frightening tales associated with forests had something to do with exiles.

Tancred gave Valeri a brief glance.

"I don't doubt your skills, but there's a man in this exile village who knows how to use his fists. New knights used to challenge him without knowing any better and come back beaten to a pulp. He's not entirely unreasonable, so if you do meet him, treat him with respect. That should keep you out of trouble."

"Would his name happen to be Thorvald?"

"How do you know him?"

"Well, I've heard rumors."

"Rumors? He's not all that famous. Anyway, since you mention it, he's a man who beats knights with his bare hands. To be honest, I'm making a point of warning you because you're young, and you may not yet know how frightening the world can be. Everyone knows you must be exceptionally skilled to have killed the Ballsack Opener one-on-one, but this Thorvald is something else entirely."

Valeri answered with a faint smile.

"I probably know better than anyone how strong he is."

How could he not? He had seen with his own eyes the man single-handedly demolishing his army. Not to mention that Thorvald had beaten four Einheri to death, two of them at the same time.

"... Have you met him before?"

"Well, not yet."

Tancred found that a little strange, but soon nodded and let it pass.

"Just think of it as a trip to see the sea. Take it easy. But don't let your guard down too much. You understand?"

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Good. Leave once the rain stops. Speaking of which, perhaps it's the rain, but there's been no word from the men who went to Gringen."

"It's only been a day."

"True enough. We sent the best of the younger men, so I doubt there'll be any trouble."

"..."

"Let me know if you need any equipment. And come find me anytime if you have more questions. I'd best be off now. I'm busy."

"Understood. Thank you."

Valeri bade the veteran knight farewell. Tancred rolled up the map and took it with him.