As the knight picked himself up from his ridiculous tumble, Shan stood still, his sword hanging loosely in his hand. He had realized that the lump of metal before him was not much of a threat.

The man's bearded face was far too red, even allowing for the sunset shining on it. When Shan raised his sword again and jabbed it through the air, the knight flinched and took a step back.

He looked like a hardened veteran of dozens of battlefields, yet merely pointing a sword at him sent him trembling. It made Shan feel like a fool for having been so tense. When he let out an incredulous sigh, the man's rugged, fierce face twisted with shame and humiliation.

A moment later, the knight shouted and swung his war flail with all his might.

"Aaaagh!"

It cut through the air with a vicious sound, but Shan felt no threat whatsoever. What danger could there be when the man swinging it had his eyes squeezed shut and refused to move a single step?

Not even feeling the need to swing his sword, Shan simply slipped around behind him and gave his shin a light kick. The knight lost his balance and crashed forward. At that sight, Shan could not possibly keep quiet.

"You should keep your eyes open when you fight."

"I... know...!"

For someone sprawled face-first on the ground, he certainly managed a spirited growl. But when Shan pointed his sword at him again, he froze. All bark and no bite was exactly right.

Shan watched him for a while, then sheathed his sword. He could sense the tightly hunched body relaxing. It was truly ridiculous. Whether the weapon was in Shan's hand or at his waist made no difference to which of them held the advantage.

After a brief silence, sobbing wails began to rise. The knight bawled and pounded the ground with his metal gauntlets in apparent frustration.

"Damn it, damn it! Why the hell are you scared of something like that, you fucking coward!"

Shan was bewildered to see a warrior who looked so terrifyingly powerful howling like a child, tears and snot streaming down his face. It was not as though Shan had chopped off limbs or heads before his eyes, as he had with the enemies he fought months ago. All he had done was trip him lightly, and now he was blubbering?

Unsure how to respond, Shan simply watched him for several minutes. At last, the knight stopped sobbing and muttered quietly,

"Kill me."

"What?"

"I can't live with this shame. Just kill me..."

Even so, Shan felt no particular urge to kill him. With the mixture of curiosity and wariness typical of a cat, he gave the slumped knight's back a few light nudges with his foot.

"Stop that."

"Why on earth is a knight in armor afraid of swords?"

"... I'm not a knight."

"I heard people who wear iron armor are knights."

"Knights wear plate armor, not mail like this. It's completely different."

It was rather entertaining how he kept answering at length despite still sniffling through his tears. Shan crouched down to meet his eyes and asked what he most wanted to know.

"But, Sir Knight—"

"I told you, I'm not a knight. Just call me Roden."

"Roden, why did you come to fight me if you're afraid of swords?"

"I thought I could just put on a fierce face and shout you down. It usually works."

To be fair, he really had looked like a terrifying opponent right up until the moment he raised his weapon. Even Shan had felt that way, so some petty robber would surely have submitted rather than risk his life fighting him. He had also made a plausible offer about protecting Shan from the villagers if he surrendered...

Perhaps their conversation had lifted his spirits a little. Looking considerably more at ease, Roden spoke in a hollow voice.

"I know this will sound ridiculous after that pathetic display, but stop tricking and frightening people with Altoan magic or whatever it is. You got away with it this time because a coward like me came along. If a real warrior had come, you'd have been in danger. You could have died."

He did not go so far as to explain that he had intended to frighten the poor Altoan boy into leaving before someone came to kill him. That would have been so disgraceful it would look like he was begging for his life.

Shan tilted his head, looking as though he could not understand what Roden meant.

"But I haven't really tricked or frightened anyone."

"What?"

"I've never deceived anyone. I only fought my enemies."

"Then the stories are all true? You destroyed an entire mercenary company with magic?"

"Yes. Though I'm not sure whether this is magic."

Shan explained his powers to Roden: his ability to move his body more efficiently, logically, and precisely than other people; to perceive the world in slow motion, read his opponents' movements accurately, and predict and counter them; and to see clearly even in the dark.

Unlike the villagers, who had shouted him down in the past without hearing him out, Roden listened intently with a grave expression. When Shan had finished explaining how he had used those abilities to defeat the mercenaries in the dark forest and instill respect in the Leaf villagers who persecuted him, Roden asked quietly,

"I'm not doubting you, but could you show me that power?"

"Just a moment."

Shan was about to draw the sword at his waist, but Roden flinched at the mere touch of his hand on the hilt, so he fetched his mace from the hut instead. It, too, was bent from all the ways he had played around with it, but as a blunt weapon, it was still reasonably usable.

Mace in hand, Shan gave a casual demonstration of the techniques for harming people with weapons that he practiced every day in the woods and hills. Though he had grown considerably, he was still small and slender compared with a grown man. As the boy swung the mace so fast it vanished from sight, Roden's jaw dropped. When Shan finished by leaping higher than his own height and turning a somersault in the air, his mouth opened so wide it seemed his jaw might come unhinged.

"Something like that."

"This is truly... Oh, Goddess. How can this be?"

The way he sighed and clasped his hands in prayer somehow reminded Shan of Priest Ador. After watching quietly, Shan clasped his own hands and joined him, though he had no idea what to pray for.

A little later, Roden finished praying and spoke with a sigh.

"Could I stay here for just one night? I swear by the Goddess and my father that, in accordance with the customs of hospitality, I will do you no harm."

It was an utterly unexpected proposal. Shan considered it for a moment, then nodded. He lived alone because he feared being stabbed in his sleep, but he thought the sound of someone that large moving about would wake him even in the middle of the night. And, to be honest, having a long conversation with someone for the first time in ages was rather enjoyable.

"I can give you food, but you can't come inside."

* * *

When Roden saw the supper Shan set out, his expression turned stern, and he announced that he would prepare the food himself. Shan had thought the leftover meat he had roasted that afternoon, some dried-out bread, cheese, and raw vegetables made quite a fine feast. He was privately offended, but that feeling soon vanished. The food Roden served was simply too delicious.

Using the metal pot and other cooking utensils that had been left gathering dust in a corner of the hut, Roden combined the food with ingredients he had brought to make a stew. He melted cheese over the fire to put on the meat, and seasoned and lightly blanched the vegetables. With that simple preparation, the food that had been lying around became several times tastier.

They built a campfire in front of the hut and laid out their feast. When Shan took a bite, he was moved even more deeply than when he had first eaten roasted meat, and tears spilled from his eyes.

"I-is it really that good...?"

"It's the best! I've honestly never eaten anything like this in my life!"

Roden watched in bewilderment, then let out a chuckle and drank some of the wine he had brought. Apparently the Leaf villagers had not been exaggerating: Shan truly did eat an incredible amount.

Good food and wine, the flickering campfire, and light conversation put them comfortably at ease. Then, in the middle of their chatter, something Roden said made Shan cry out in surprise.

"Nineteen!?"

"Yes. You don't have to tell me. I know I look old for my age."

Roden gave a resigned laugh, as though he was used to this.

In fact, he made active use of his appearance. If he lowered his voice and acted solemn, as he had in Leaf Village, no one suspected that he was a green youth barely past coming of age.

Shan stared at him blankly and murmured,

"You're only a few years older than me..."

"And how old are you?"

"I don't know. Probably older than twelve, but not quite fourteen."

Not knowing one's exact age was typical of orphans who had never had anyone raise them properly. Those words alone gave Roden some idea of the life this boy named Shan had led.

After they had talked idly for a good while longer, Roden's face grew serious as he came to the point.

"So, do you intend to keep living like this?"

"Like what?"

"The people of Leaf Village asked me to get rid of you. They're suffering because you keep taking their food. Whatever you may think, this is food you plundered by threatening farmers with a sword."

"But living among other people is too hard."

It was the sort of excuse a thug might make after fleeing to the city because he hated farmwork. Roden's face tightened with displeasure, but what followed drew a groan of dismay from him.

A daily life of rising before everyone else and enduring relentless hard labor until the sun had set and everyone was asleep. Of being insulted and beaten for amusement by everyone he dealt with, surviving on scraps, and starving until every bone in his body stood out...

What this Altoan boy considered an honest, hardworking life was several times harsher and crueler than Roden's own idea of it. No word could describe it better than slavery, something the faith of the Goddess strictly forbade. Under those circumstances, it was understandable that he would think taking up a sword and seizing things from others was preferable.

"When I carry weapons and use the devil's power, people are afraid of me. That's better than being looked down on and treated like nothing."

Roden gave no answer, remaining silent for a long time. When he finally spoke, it was not to contradict Shan.

"My father is a merchant."

"A merchant... Someone who buys and sells things, right?"

"That's right. One of the foremost in Pendia, the neighboring country."

Roden's full name was Roden Wievers. His father, Kalion, headed the capital's merchants' guild and ran the largest jewelry business in the kingdom. Naturally, as a son born late in his father's life, Roden had grown up expected to become a great merchant like him.

"When I was little, I thought my father was the greatest man in the world. Everyone we met looked up to him. But... one day, I saw someone my father bowed to."

That person had been a knight. The sight of his father, dressed in lavish clothes, bowing his head to a knight in old armor had left an extraordinarily deep impression on the young Roden.

And there were many others to whom Roden's father had to bow: attendants from the royal court, the various nobles who made up his principal clientele...

For a merchant, skill at obsequious flattery and entertaining clients mattered as much as a discerning eye and the ability to read the times. Even before an impoverished noble or an incompetent knight, he could never act as though he were the superior. That would be insubordination, a challenge to the higher classes.

"To earn the respect of people with real power and stand among them as an equal, you need good blood or ability. And by ability, I mean this."

Roden held his clenched fist before Shan's eyes. It looked roughly twice the size of Shan's own, its bulging veins giving it a menacing appearance.

"My father supported my ambition and introduced me to a retired knight. He said my reflexes and technique were ordinary, but I had a good build and plenty of strength, so my talent wasn't bad. But..."

"You were afraid of blades?"

"That's right."

It had not become apparent while he trained with wooden swords and blunt practice swords, but whenever a blade was pointed at Roden, his body froze like a mouse facing a snake. It made no difference if he knew the other person had no intention of hurting him, or lacked the ability to do so.

He had forced himself to keep blades nearby in an attempt to cure it, but the symptoms only worsened. By now, while he could manage a kitchen knife, he struggled even to hold a blade made for combat. He could use only blunt weapons such as maces and war flails.

"My father didn't blame me. No, if anything, he seemed a little pleased. He'd only been respecting my wishes. In truth, he wanted me to give up training as a knight and succeed him as a merchant. But I didn't want to give up."

In the end, Roden had put on his custom-made armor, packed his belongings, and run away from home to the neighboring country of Libert. He intended to risk his life wandering until he rid himself of this damned fear of blades for good.

Traveling alone was dangerous, but his fearsome appearance had kept him safe. He looked every inch an experienced warrior in expensive equipment, so small-time troublemakers valued their lives too much to pick a fight. As for monsters, which lacked the sense to judge such things, they rarely used blades, allowing him to fight to his full ability.

Having told his story, Roden looked intently at Shan and asked,

"Do you know why I suddenly brought all this up?"

"No."

"Because I'm so envious of you I can barely stand it."

Envious? Shan had never imagined hearing such a thing. Who in the world could possibly envy a lowly, wicked Altoan orphan?

Roden chuckled at his bewildered expression.

"I've met Altoans on plenty of occasions. What you were born with isn't some devil's power. Yes, those eyes probably explain why you can see so well at night... but the rest is simply talent. Talent that might let you become a greater knight than anyone else in the world."

How could he not cry out to the divine when someone born with everything he desperately wanted was letting that talent go to waste? Deep sorrow filled his voice as he murmured his lament.

Shan listened quietly, then asked in incomprehension,

"But I'm an Altoan. How could I become a knight?"

"It would be difficult here in Libert, where the Old Faith predominates. But it's possible in other countries."

"The Old Faith?"

"You don't know? Ah, I suppose they deliberately don't teach you about it out in the countryside."

Roden began a patient explanation, assuming he was speaking to a child who knew nothing of the subject. Long ago, a powerful country called the Arman Empire had ruled this western region where they lived. When it fell five hundred years ago and split into five countries, the faith of the Goddess had also divided into the Old Faith and the New Faith. Unlike the Old Faith, which held to its antiquated doctrines, the New Faith regarded Altoans not as descendants of devils but as ordinary humans whose origins lay in an ancient magical empire.

"There are plenty of other differences, too. Whether priests can marry, restrictions on magic... Anyway, the important thing is that my homeland, Pendia, has followers of both faiths living together. There's less discrimination than here in Libert, which follows the Old Faith. I can't say there's none, but even an Altoan has countless ways to rise in the world through swordsmanship there. With your ability, you might accomplish something great and become the first Altoan lord."

Roden's words were so enticing they felt unreal. An Altoan lord? Wasn't that a combination of words as incongruous as a flying pig or a swimming bird...? Shan, who had considered himself a devil's descendant, practically a different species from humans, could only sit dumbfounded.

Seeing his expression, Roden came around the campfire and gripped both of Shan's shoulders. Shan knew he could be in danger if the man suddenly seized his throat, yet he could not react at once.

"Come to Pendia with me, Shan. Is living here and bleeding peasants dry for the rest of your life really what you want? With this talent, you could gain so much more. Wealth and fame that everyone would admire—and perhaps something beyond even that."

Neither wealth nor fame meant much to Shan. He had never made a proper trade or received anyone's praise.

Yet in Roden's words, for the first time, Shan saw a future. A life that looked beyond the desperate struggle to survive, beyond securing his next meal and a place to sleep...

The desire to become better than one was now, to seek change in some positive direction, was precisely what separated humans from beasts. Having savored the freedom and happiness of a beast, the boy spent a long time considering the invitation to go beyond that and become human.

By the time Shan finally spoke, the campfire before them had nearly burned out.

"Will I be able to eat food even tastier than what we had today?"

Roden stared blankly at the utterly unexpected question, then burst out laughing.

"Of course! I'm nothing compared with the skilled cooks in Pendia's capital!"