“Hah.”

Petel, the knight, let out an exclamation as he withdrew the 「path」 he had spread in every direction. Beyond the rising dust lay the boy, a pitiful crumpled figure. His slender blade lay shattered as well.

The duel had ended in a clear victory for Petel. Yet he had not dominated the fight that led to it. Dazed, he ran a hand along his neck. Drops of blood stained his fingertips. Bright red drops. Proof that the boy had wounded him.

“Hah. Hahaha.”

The boy had failed to bring Petel down.

But his sword had reached him.

That was impossible. How could a mere 「sword beginner」 do such a thing?

“What if he had been a 「sword walker」 like me? No, what if he'd been just a little better at handling Mana? Or just a little more proficient in the swordsmanship he had learned...?”

Then the boy's sword might have thrust deeper, with greater precision, into a more lethal spot. A chill spread through the back of Petel's head as he looked at the fallen boy.

'If I weren't an accomplished 「sword walker」 capable of deploying a 「path」, he would have had me.'

The implication was simple.

This frail boy was a swordsman capable of killing an ordinary 「sword walker」 with that paltry blade...

Having reached that conclusion, Petel murmured inwardly.

'I really do feel as though I've seen a ghost.'

* * *

The first thing our guest did before the campfire was introduce himself. Only then did I learn that the gentlemanly knight squatting there was named Petel. As he gave his name with an easy air, I looked at the blanket covering my lower body.

'He's been looking after me all this time.'

He was indeed a gentleman, just as I had expected. Far from tying me up after crossing swords with me, he had covered me with a blanket and stayed beside me until I regained consciousness. But instead of thanking him, I grew suspicious. An old habit of mine.

'... Why did he do that?'

Whatever kindness he had shown me, it did not change the fact that he had swung his sword at me. Losing our clash was no reason to drop my guard against Petel entirely. I had to stay alert. Hadn't staying alert been precisely what allowed me to deflect his first attack...?

'Fully digesting Needle has sharpened my senses, too.'

I could feel it instinctively. As I was now, I could move with far more agility and finesse than before.

But I still could not picture myself defeating Petel. No matter what I tried.

The knight before me had a presence like a fortress wall. A sturdy wall that I might scratch with a blade, but could never bring down.

“Don't be so tense. I struck first earlier because I wanted to disarm you. The resolve in your eyes was so fierce that I didn't think I could reason with you.”

Apparently sensing my wariness, Petel spoke in that easygoing way. He pointed at his sword, which lay neatly sheathed beside the campfire, then shrugged as if to show he had no intention of fighting.

Naturally, however, I did not relax.

“Hmm. I don't know what you've been through, but it seems you won't let your guard down easily.”

“...”

“Well, then I suppose I ought to begin with this. Hearing my story might ease your suspicions a little.”

Still looking relaxed, Petel turned his gaze toward the campfire. Sparks flew with a crackle, and I flinched involuntarily at the sight. Fully digesting the swordswoman Mary's memories had brought back her final moments—the sensation of burning to death.

“The story of why I came all the way to this nameless village, even here in the middle of nowhere.”

Regardless of my reaction, Petel took a piece of smoked meat from his bundle and continued, his expression utterly matter-of-fact.

And then...

“I'll die before long. A month at most, they tell me.”

What came out of his mouth next was something I had never expected.

“I have an incurable illness.”

* * *

Petel told his story at great, rambling length. Unlike his clean swordsmanship, his way with words was dreadful. He repeated himself, rambled disjointedly about things only he knew, and sometimes grew so emotional that he was difficult to understand.

Yet that made him sound all the more sincere.

I came to understand clearly that the visitor before me was not an evil man, but a good one—a knight with a pitiful story. To summarize Petel's long account, it went like this:

'A knight who served loyally all his life. But the moment he contracted an incurable illness, he was abandoned, left to wander until he came here.'

Much like the protagonists who often appeared in novels about chivalry.

The difference was that reality was not a novel. Unlike those splendid protagonists who ultimately overcame their illnesses, gained wealth, riches, and beautiful women, then acquired strength and fame as well, tragic figures in real life generally met equally tragic ends.

Petel probably would, too.

The rank of 「sword walker」 was hardly insignificant, but it was not enough to make someone a protagonist celebrated by everyone. It was no extraordinary attainment, but the highest level an ordinary swordsman with a reasonable amount of talent could reach through grueling effort. That was where Petel stood.

As Petel poured out a story I had never asked to hear, it was only at the very end that he explained how he had dragged himself all the way to this domain, this backwater village.

“I wanted to die quietly and alone, without burdening anyone. I like this village. It's pleasantly quiet, the sunsets every evening are quite pretty, and I can have time to myself...”

“...”

“I'm not afraid of death. It is the moment I can go to the side of the god I serve. I simply wanted these last moments to be my own. Not once in my life have I ever had the leisure to enjoy time to myself. That's why I went out of my way to find this deserted place.”

Perhaps facing death had made him sentimental. Well, people with their days numbered tended to do peculiar things, so I understood.

But however sincere his story sounded, I could not trust it completely. How could I know whether Petel might suddenly change and do something?

“... Even after I've gone to such lengths to explain, you still haven't dropped your guard.”

“Didn't I tell you? Suspicion is a habit of mine.”

“That's not a habit. It's practically a disease.”

Petel said it jokingly.

A disease. Perhaps he was right. I had been asked countless times whether I suffered from pathological suspicion.

'... I wasn't always this bad.'

The sole reason my suspicions had become so relentless was the swordmaster Carlos. The tragedy of that day had made me an even more exhausting person. I probably could never go back to the way I had been. Never.

“Well, if you need to see it with your own eyes.”

Petel exhaled slowly and took off his outer garment. The firelight revealed his chest and its firm muscles. There was something conspicuous on the left side, right over his heart: a pitch-black blotch. A blotch that looked ominous at a glance.

“Even high-ranking priests and healers who have spent their entire lives practicing medicine say they don't know what this is.”

“...”

“There is only one thing I know. This blotch is slowly devouring the organs inside me, and now only my hearts remain.”

Petel smiled bitterly.

“Most of my second heart, my 「mana heart」, has already been devoured. And the moment my real heart is eaten too, my life will end. Quietly and alone.”

Petel recited his impending end matter-of-factly. It had probably taken a long time for him to grow so accustomed to speaking of his plight. I watched him with a little pity, then shifted my eyes toward empty space. Liam was there.

「Young descendant, you'll certainly never be taken for a fool or swindled wherever you go.」

Liam looked at me with faint exasperation. So what was I supposed to do? I kept staring straight at him. In the end, he gave me the answer I wanted.

「Everything that knight says is true. The disease lodged in his body is devouring all his organs and muscles. Voraciously.」

That settled my doubts. I turned back to Petel, who spoke with an awkward smile.

“Is that enough to qualify me as your neighbor now?”

I nodded brightly, as if I had never doubted him at all.

“Yes, more than enough.”

For some reason, both Petel and Liam, who floated in midair, were looking at me with exasperation.

In any case, that was how this domain gained its first new neighbor. Even if it would only be for a month at most.

“I look forward to being your neighbor.”

“The pleasure is all mine.”

After shaking hands with Petel, I felt somewhat better. He was a likable man, would do me no harm, and was a righteous knight who would gladly fight beside me if an unwelcome visitor I couldn't handle appeared later.

「A stroke of luck for you.」

“What's lucky about it?”

「What a shameless act. I can see exactly what you're thinking, young descendant.」

Ah.

「Now you only have to wait a month at most to eat an accomplished sword walker's sword, don't you? For free.」

Of course, I would not deny that I had other reasons as well.

* * *

My new neighbor, the knight Petel, proved to be a good man indeed.

“If you need my help to improve your swordsmanship, you're welcome to visit whenever you like.”

Petel said he would gladly spar with me whenever I wished. He also offered to give me his opinion, inadequate though it might be, if I sought advice about the sword. That was an enormous kindness. Wasn't this normally something he would only do for a noble he knew, and only after receiving suitable payment?

“What else does a man with his days numbered have to do? In truth, I was beginning to tire of doing nothing but watching sunsets.”

Petel smiled amiably.

“Besides, your swordsmanship is intriguing, young Lord Arhan. No, perhaps I should say your heart interests me more than your sword... In any case, I think it will be meaningful time for me as well.”

His smile was bright, but there was a shadow in it too.

“As death approaches, I've begun to feel that I want to leave something in this world. And I thought that if I taught you something, young lord, the mark I leave behind might be a little clearer. For some reason, I feel you'll leave your name in the history of this continent.”

As dawn broke, Petel put out the campfire and stood.

“I won't ask about your uncanny gift with a sword or that special heart of yours. Everyone has their own circumstances. Besides, asking about something the other person hasn't chosen to share goes against a knight's honor. A knight always maintains his dignity and waits for the other person to open their heart first.”

For Petel, honor came before curiosity. In that respect, he was a different sort of person from me. More of an adult, perhaps.

In any case, that made Petel an even more useful neighbor to me.

「Your mana heart has now taken root, and you have become a sword beginner.」

Still, that didn't mean I could just sit around grinning.

「Then you must take the next step to reach greater heights.」

I still had a long way to go.

「The time has come to eat a new sword, young descendant.」

Once I had decided to climb, I could not stop.