The Caravan estate.

The village was livelier than before. No longer could the Caravan estate be called a nameless, dead village. It still fell short of an estate, but was quite bustling for a village. It had developed beyond comparison with when Seolyun first arrived. Back then, its only residents had been Seolyun, Petel, and Arhan. Simply becoming a place where people came and went was a dazzling improvement.

“You would have liked seeing this if you were still here. You loved to talk. You could have chatted with all these people as much as you wanted. Maybe even recited a poem about those sunsets you loved so much.”

Seolyun did not enjoy the estate’s improved facilities or make friends with the newcomers. Instead, she first visited her neighbor, who had now departed this world. She lit a dry twig, swept it in a circle, and looked up at the sky. It was a funeral custom of the Church of the Goddess Marcia. Watching the pale smoke rise from the twig’s tip, she murmured,

“May the Maiden of the Sky embrace you.”

She laid the burning twig on Petel’s grave. Beside it, a red lipstick mark adorned the gravestone—a trace Daisy had left behind. Seolyun smiled faintly and shared a few other trivial stories. Her words were awkward and long-winded. No answer came, but she spoke naturally to herself, as though conversing with someone. When she finished, she offered another prayer and descended the ridge.

On her way down, she encountered Haylin. The bold girl was with the rude witch, Audrey. Contrary about everything, the witch spoke the moment she saw Seolyun.

“Coming down from the mountain? Oh, they say people from the eastern continent love nature. Did you sleep up there and just wake up? How fascinating. You sleep at strange hours, though. Is this that thing? The mysteries of the East...”

“...”

Faced with this remarkable talent for getting on her nerves with a single remark, Seolyun did not reply. While Audrey continued spouting rude comments, Haylin spoke excitedly, with a young girl’s characteristic exuberance.

“I’m going to learn magic! Not useless magic, but the real thing. An orc shaman named Sherdik taught me all sorts of things when I told him I was helping young Lord Arhan. He also said that if I had any more questions, I could invite him into my spirit world whenever I wanted. Maybe now I can become a proper mage instead of just managing the estate. Hehe.”

“You’re still a long way off. But it’s remarkable that he helped you immediately just because you said you were friends with the descendant of steel. To think the Guide of the Stars would offer instruction so readily. Normally, that eccentric wouldn’t speak to a human even for a mountain of gold...”

“Eccentric? He seemed like a lovely person to me. He said that if I visited the orcs’ sacred land sometime, he would introduce me to his beautiful daughter! He couldn’t stop praising how lovely she was.”

“Haylin, you don’t understand orc standards of beauty. If an orc says someone is very beautiful, chances are that orc is closer to an ogre. She might fold someone like you in half with one hand.”

“Eek!”

Poor Haylin, the girl whose eyes had shone with determination to prove herself useful in this village after being abducted by a dark mage. To Seolyun, it seemed that living here had helped her regain much of the demeanor of a girl her age. That was a good thing. It was far better than seeing her cowed and anxious. Haylin’s bright smile made Seolyun want to pat her head. It even brought back memories of the many children in Seolyun’s now-vanished homeland—and of the poor children who had died miserable deaths, unable to find even a piece of bread.

That was why Seolyun was happier to see Haylin acting like a girl again than to learn of her innate talent for estate management or her new magical studies.

“Fold me in half with one hand? Really?”

“Of course. Orcs are more than capable of that.”

“Th-then would you have to run away too if an orc appeared, Lady Audrey?”

“No! I would never run away! Do you think those savage, terrifying things could lay so much as a finger on a witch who commands the skies? My husband would never stand for it if that happened, but more importantly, before anything so dreadful could occur, terrible magic would descend upon them! No, they would flee in fright the moment I said I was a witch!”

“Wow. Are witches that amazing?”

“Of course. It’s only because this place is out in the sticks. Do you know what it’s like in the Iron Kingdom’s blade city? Tell them you’re a witch and everyone bows their head and trembles. And in the Heavenly Empire, everyone stares at you with sparkling eyes. It’s quite a spectacle.”

“Th-that’s wonderful. Could I become a witch someday too?”

One reason Haylin had recovered that side of herself seemed to be the presence of another girl she got along with so well: Audrey. Insufferable though the woman was, she had become quite close friends with Haylin before Seolyun knew it. Audrey answered Haylin’s question with a swagger.

“H-hmph. Well, who knows? You’ll have to work harder. Besides, to become a witch, you have to win our husband’s favor. You have to be very, very pretty. Like me.”

“Then is it impossible for me? No one’s ever told me I’m pretty.”

“Hmph! You’re still young, so perhaps you have potential. If I could share my beauty, I would have given you some. I suppose it wouldn’t be so bad to have a little sister like you become one of my sisters...”

The two were quite a pair.

Watching them leave together, giggling, Seolyun let out a wry laugh. Once Haylin and Audrey were gone, she headed to one side of the village to familiarize herself with 「Myriad Transformations」. Her wings and newly awakened arcane power were strong, but they had yet to become fully integrated into her body. She needed to train over and over before she could use them naturally. While searching for a deserted spot, she heard a metallic ringing break the silence—the sound of blades clashing.

Following the sound, she came upon Arhan. An unexpected figure stood before him.

“Young lord.”

Tom, caretaker of the Hall of Fame.

“As I’ve told you many times, I like you, young lord. I like your duels, your attitude, everything about you. So please understand that I say this without any personal malice.”

He regarded Arhan, who was panting with exhaustion, and spoke in a kindly voice.

“Young lord, you truly have no talent.”

... Unlike his voice, his words were not the least bit kind.

* * *

「Sword runner」.

The benchmark of strength.

When discussing swordsmen on this continent, 「sword runner」 was the rank that marked someone as truly powerful. Naturally, reaching that benchmark was difficult. But once a swordsman spread their wings, they could expect to be treated entirely differently. For one thing, a 「sword runner」 could fight on equal terms with magical beings initiated into the arcane, as well as spiritual beings. That was only natural, since only the arcane could counter the arcane.

Beyond that, they could surpass the realm of the superhuman and move almost like a ghost. A 「sword walker」 possessed strength, speed, and senses superior to an ordinary swordsman’s, but not overwhelmingly so. From 「sword runner」 onward, however, they could reign supreme at a level beyond the limits of their species. The power of acceleration granted by their wings alone gave them speed comparable to a mage’s teleportation spell. That by itself was enough for a single 「sword runner」 to slaughter an army of ordinary swordsmen.

That was why I first needed to become a 「sword runner」 to stand tall as a proper swordsman. I had made quite a name for myself in the recent Endless Duel, but that had only been possible because several favorable conditions aligned. Facing the enemies ahead without wings would be impossible. Absolutely impossible.

But...

“Your ability to sense Mana is decent. Your athletic ability, however, is far too lacking. You cannot put what you envision into practice with your body. You’re so far below the mark that I feel sorry even calling you untalented.”

As expected, I had no talent.

「If you told him that this body was the result of forcing yourself to grow by eating an orc’s blade, he might be so astonished he’d turn a somersault.」

“P-please, don’t make it worse.”

「Shall I turn a somersault myself? Without a physical body, I think I could easily do a hundred above your head.」

“Please...”

Seolyun had quickly broken through her barrier and spread her wings simply by envisioning the sword she wanted and undergoing various forms of training. But she had managed that because she was a prodigy the likes of which the world rarely saw. I was no prodigy. I wasn’t even average. I was a dullard.

“You have already found a clue to becoming a 「sword runner」, young lord. The arcane power you will bring forth takes the form of flame. A flame has already kindled within you, young Lord Arhan. You simply cannot wield it yet. Once you understand how to wield the Mana extending throughout your body and find your bearings, your wings will bloom. The problem is that your feel for it is so terribly dull.”

“...”

“Hoho, perhaps Goddess Lepri placed a restriction on the 「Caravan」 blood flowing through your body in the interest of fairness. Eating steel and becoming one with its soul—isn’t that an extraordinarily powerful ability? In theory, if you ate every sword in the world, you could perform every sword art in existence... Well, considering all that, I think this curse—no, a slip of the tongue. This restriction is nothing significant.”

Liam burst into laughter at Tom’s words.

「He’s not even hiding his true thoughts anymore! Young descendant, he’s calling that body of yours a curse.」

“...”

「When did the blood of steel become cursed? A curse unknown even to me, its founding ancestor! How astonishing. What is this curse called? The World’s Greatest Dullard? Slug? Worthless Body?」

“Please shut up.”

「How can we break your curse? There’s a witch here now. Why not ask her? ‘I’ve been cursed to be unable to move my body properly. Would you please lift it?’」

“Ugh.”

Every word out of Liam’s mouth was getting under my skin.

F*ck. A curse?

What stung even more was that Tom seemed to genuinely believe the blood of steel was cursed or restricted. His expression was so earnest that I simply couldn’t say, “I’m just bad at this because I’m an idiot, hahaha.”

“Judging by your movements, young lord, what matters now is not strengthening your inner flame or improving your physical capabilities. Rather, you must integrate the flame that has begun to burn into your body and use it to forge your Mana into the proper form. Like heating steel in a furnace and shaping it as you desire.”

“Ah.”

“To do that, you need guided training. Normally, that role falls to one’s master or a fellow disciple with exceptional talent. But judging by what I’ve seen, you have too many shortcomings for me to point them all out adequately.”

Tom was a wonderful teacher.

He was easier to understand than Liam and his vague nonsense. How much clearer things were with concrete examples! He seemed a better teacher than Liam, who only put me through hell, telling me to hammer my body into shape or throw myself into trials. After pondering for a moment with a thoughtful hum, Tom spoke.

“The Black Bride. Isn’t The Black Bride here in this village?”

“I’ll ask her.”

“Yes. I believe she could certainly help. Isn’t she your complete opposite? If you are the world’s greatest dullard, she is a prodigy sent by heaven... Ah, another slip of the tongue!”

“...”

“You too, young lord, er, well. You have... a kind heart. A kind heart! Hahaha!”

Tom was a splendid old man who did not know how to lie.

My heart was covered in wounds. Liam was now turning somersaults above my head to taunt me. He was far too irritating for an old man several centuries old. Doing my best to ignore him, I spoke to Tom.

“Tom, there’s something I need to tell you.”

“What is it?”

“I don’t know whether I mentioned this, but the Iron Prince said he would soon create a maelstrom. One that would engulf the entire continent.”

“That is... frightening. The Iron Prince seems quite likely to do it, and he certainly has the power to make it happen.”

“Yes. But he said he would include me in the maelstrom he intends to create. I don’t know what he plans to do, but he said he would make sure I was swept up in it too.”

Tom frowned at my words.

“That is more frightening than any death threat.”

“Yes. Frankly, I’m scared. That’s why I’m warning you in advance. I don’t know when it will begin, but the maelstrom will descend upon me soon. Anyone near me could be swept up in it. So, while I’m grateful for your help, please don’t stay here too long. It’s dangerous.”

“Hoho. Dangerous, you say?”

Tom gave an amiable laugh.

“Don’t worry, young lord. I will protect you until you become a 「sword runner」, even if I must extend my leave. I don’t know what eccentric scheme the Iron Prince will undertake, but this old man is no pushover either. Unless the maelstrom is truly extraordinary, I can serve as a wall to keep you from harm. So set aside your needless worries and focus on training.”

His words were reassuring.

Of course. Tom was a 「sword expert」, after all.

“Unless a swordmaster comes calling, no one will be able to hurt you, young lord. Hoho.”

Those were comforting words.

We smiled at each other.

Yes.

“Hahahahaha!”

Neither of us had any idea what sort of ‘maelstrom’ was coming.

* * *

The Iron Kingdom of Chervil.

The largest and greatest city in a land where might itself defined order.

The capital.

The Iron Prince had returned to 「Cherni」, the blade city.

Unlike other nobles, who traveled accompanied by countless knights, guards, and servants, the Iron Prince’s procession was as modest as ever. The most noble young man in the Kingdom of Steel had only a single guard with him. Even so, no one on the street dared raise their head. With their heads bowed low to the ground and their mouths firmly shut, they struggled even to breathe.

“Hmm.”

The Iron Prince, Ian Chervil, surveyed the scene and murmured,

“This city really is no fun.”

As his ash-gray hair fluttered, the metallic tang of iron hung in the air around him. Through narrowed eyes, Ian Chervil gazed at the walls visible beyond the Iron Palace, their sharp points rising like blades. Rather than spare a glance for his bowing subjects, he kept his eyes on those walls.

“I must personally bring them some entertainment as soon as possible, so everyone can laugh and enjoy themselves.”

More precisely, he was looking beyond the walls.

“Truly, as soon as possible...”