Title:
The Path I Must Take (2)
Text:
I mounted my warhorse and headed for the western borderlands. The greatest boundary separating the western kingdom from the Empire was the Makken Mountains. Beyond them lay the border itself. While there were several meaningful escape routes out of the Empire, this was the path with the lowest probability of success.
“…Makken.”
The Makken Mountains were an extremely dangerous region, teeming with aberrations. It was a place that even I approached with great caution. It wasn't for nothing that the Empire's expansion had halted at the foot of these mountains.
Monsters, monstrosities, beings incomprehensible to human common sense—this place was their domain.
Because it was such a difficult path, it was an extreme choice made only by the truly desperate.
Because it was such an extreme path, my past self had ultimately failed to survive it.
Swoooosh—
The cold wind rustled the fallen leaves. The mountain air was already frigid. Abruptly, my warhorse stopped. I dismounted and stared silently at the sky beyond.
Today, I killed one of my own bloodline.
But this is only the beginning. In the future, I will have to kill countless more people. I must become that kind of person.
For the great cause of humanity's survival, personal sacrifice is unavoidable.
—Yes, it is unavoidable.
I repeated the words that Jephastian had once so often said.
“It has become unavoidable.”
“Sir Knight!”
The cavalrymen in charge of the pursuit arrived without delay.
“It seems we’ll have to climb the mountains ourselves. There are no tracks on foot.”
At this rate, they would find Arcade before long.
The Arcade of the past had never made it over these mountains. Whether he was killed by the pursuit squad or taken by a monster, I don't know, but he was found only as a corpse.
“Continue the search.”
I handed a crystal sphere to the man who appeared to be the leader of the pursuers. It was a communication artifact commonly used in such remote areas.
“Contact me the moment you see the target.”
“Yes! Ah, Sir Knight.”
The man, gripping his horse’s reins, turned back to look at me. A vulgar smile spread across his face, his eyes gleaming with greed.
“I am Major Hans Caillus. I say this in case you are worried, but like Lord Jeker, I too plan to cast off this filthy family soon, so you needn’t be overly concerned.”
Hans Caillus. Jeker had sent his own confidant. It seemed he was half-convinced that Arcade's escape route would be through here.
This is why it’s so irritating when a bastard is also smart.
“…I see.”
I must thoroughly conceal my objective. As Edmon said, I must be wary of every eye and ear in this Empire, not just Argentis.
I still lack power, and the Imperial Palace is crawling with treacherous vassals coveting authority.
—A mask covering his face and a robe concealing his form. Arcade Caillus climbed the rugged mountain range, his entire body tightly wrapped.
If he closed his eyes, the image of his family’s estate, still burning, would flicker before him. Behind him, even now, they were dying. All because of an absurd conspiracy, because of the betrayal of the beasts he had believed were family.
“Hah…”
Still, Arcade did not look back. He suppressed his rage and pressed forward.
He had to survive.
For the sake of the family that sacrificed everything for him, he had to.
“—Hah, haah.”
The roads were already blocked by the Imperial army, as were the other paths. That was why he chose Makken. The border at the westernmost edge. It was the most difficult and dangerous path, but he had to escape the Empire, no matter what.
He ran without a moment's rest to evade his pursuers. In that time, day turned to night, and night deepened once more.
Arcade briefly hid his body in a crevice between the rocks. He took a biscuit from his robe’s pocket and chewed on it.
“Sob…”
The biscuit grew soggy with his flowing tears. The last words his father had spoken while handing him these provisions echoed in his ears.
‘Arcade, you must survive. Our will, the vision to complete our family, lies with you.’
Do not cry. You need only contain us within you. The vessel that is you will reflect us all.
Arcade willingly accepted a burden so much greater than he deserved.
Rustle—
Suddenly, he sensed a presence in the nearby bushes. Arcade quickly hid himself. But the other’s footsteps stopped unnaturally.
Arcade was quite sharp.
He had been discovered.
He made a swift decision. Drawing his sword, he rushed toward the figure in the darkness. He thrust his blade toward the man’s heart.
“Keuk!”
The blade pierced the man’s chest precisely, but it was already too late. From somewhere, the shouts of numerous cavalrymen rose, and they swarmed toward him.
Thud. Thud.
The sound of hooves beat like drums, and in an instant, Arcade was surrounded. He raised his sword, remaining vigilant in all directions.
“A pleasure to see you, Arcade.”
Whoosh—
A torch illuminated the darkness, revealing a man.
“...!”
It was his father’s youngest brother, Hans Caillus.
Arcade’s brow twitched.
“You too… Did you betray Father as well?”
A hollow laugh of betrayal escaped him. A trickle of blood ran from his dirt-caked eyelid.
“No. No, it’s not like that. I…”
Hans shook his head back and forth with a sorrowful expression.
“—I was never once on your worthless father’s side.”
His words desecrated his father’s memory. It felt as if his head would split. Arcade staggered, looking around at the cavalrymen.
Dozens of them. He was alone.
But he had to survive. To keep his promise.
Therefore, a fight was unavoidable.
Arcade gathered mana into his sword. A blue aura, a Sword Aura, formed around the blade. Seeing it, Hans sneered.
“Your pathetic father called you the family’s prodigy. Seeing this now, I suppose it’s true. A Sword Aura at just sixteen.”
Hans drew his sword. That was the signal. The cavalrymen charged at once.
Arcade thrust his sword. He cut down two men and unleashed a blade wind that felled several of their horses.
But they employed guerrilla tactics. They didn’t approach easily, merely deflecting or evading Hans’s sword to drain his stamina. Intermittently, they threw daggers.
Clang! Clang—!
Compared to the mana he could channel into his sword, the level of his Protective Aura, which shielded his body, was still underdeveloped. Small wounds began to appear all over him.
“Keuh, urghhh!”
Arcade could no longer hold back. He charged toward Hans, but the cavalrymen skillfully dodged him. Instead, they widened the distance, driving him deeper into the mountain. It was the cavalry's classic rabbit-hunting tactic.
Hans grinned slyly.
“For all your talent, you’re too thick-headed. Just like your father, who got his head lopped off down in the castle.”
Arcade felt a fury that shook him to his core. The mana in his sword wavered. With the blood flowing from his small wounds, his stamina began to drain.
“...Huh?”
It was then.
In the deep darkness of the forest, some ‘existence’ caught Arcade’s eye.
How could he describe its form?
First… it was grotesque. Horns resembling gaunt tree branches sprouted from its head, and on its owl-like face, dozens of red eyes flickered.
“Hah. You stupid fool.”
Hans snickered. Arcade looked like a joke, his attention stolen by the monster.
“As if anyone would fall for that right now—”
Screeeaaaaaah!
Hans’s words were buried by a horrific scream. ‘It’ was moving.
The monster stretched out its massive arm and snatched the cavalrymen as if they were toys. With one hand, it crushed a man’s head, and with the other, it swallowed a warhorse whole.
“W-what is that…!”
Hee-hee-hee-hinny!
The remaining warhorses bolted in terror. They reared up, throwing their riders from their backs before fleeing.
The monster continued its meal.
Gwak! Gwaduk! Gwaaaaaak!
The gruesome sound of tearing flesh and blood, of crunching bone, a horrifying chorus of the human body being dismantled.
In the face of the bizarre assault, the cavalrymen were torn apart like paper before they could even scream.
“S-sa… save me…”
Hans, now split in half, stared at Arcade as he died. A small sphere was clutched in his hand.
“Ah…”
The next moment, the monster raised its massive arm toward Arcade, who was the last one left.
—
A ray of moonlight shone upon the place. At least, that’s what it felt like. A single flash of light, arriving in utter silence, without a sound or presence. The silver current severed the monster’s arm.
The beast let out a shriek of pain, and Arcade’s eyes darted toward the source.
A man was standing there. The mountain was cloaked in darkness, but a faint moonlight shimmered from the longsword in his hand, faintly illuminating his form.
The uniform of a Sentinel, a Knight of the Empire.
The knight stood aloof, facing the monster. The monster clutched its severed arm and glared at the knight. The knight did not flinch from its murderous gaze.
Instead, he took a step forward. The monster, as if terrified, took a step back.
As the beast turned to flee, the knight swung his sword again.
—
The moonlight surged. Like a living thing, a torrent of pure white mana engulfed the monster.
The monster’s body, enveloped in mana, began to burn away. It was disintegrated at a particle level, melting into a fine, white powder.
“…”
Arcade stared blankly at the man. The silver light flowing from his sword was dazzling.
However, this man was not his ally.
“...Arcade Caillus.”
Finally, the knight spoke his name.
“I am Maximillian of Ebenholz. The knight who executed your father, your mother, your brother, and your sister.”
Arcade’s eyes widened. His teeth chattered.
But his body would not move. It felt as if his feet were frozen to the ground.
He was a far more terrifying opponent than the monster just now.
If he took even a single step closer, I would die.
The moment Arcade gasped for breath and tried to turn—
“Will you run from your sworn enemy?”
Maximillian asked. Arcade’s mouth fell shut. His heart dropped heavily in his chest.
Shhhh, his feet scraped against the ground.
Clench. He gripped his sword.
He could not retreat here. He could not run away.
Whether he died showing his back or died on his knees, death was the same in the end.
If his failure meant his family’s annihilation was a fixed future…
Arcade aimed his trembling sword at the knight. His heart pounded as if it would burst, but the knight merely looked on at him, unperturbed.
I can’t win.
There is no way I can win.
The aura emanating from him was something Arcade had never once experienced in his life.
“Control your breathing.”
The knight spoke with clarity.
“If your mind breaks before your body, you die in that instant.”
At his words, the trembling of his blade stopped, as if by a lie.
“Have you prepared for death?”
The knight was judging him now. Those deep, golden eyes that he dared not look into were gauging his very soul.
“I came this far so that I would not die.”
Arcade readjusted his grip on the sword. He drew forth all of his remaining mana.
The secret art passed down through the Caillus family for generations.
He looked at the Knight of Ebenholz. The man was still watching him without a single movement.
Rather than kneeling and waiting for death, I will take this chance at his carelessness.
Arcade thrust his sword at him.
Chaaaaaaeeeng—!
A sharp sound that felt like it would tear his eardrums echoed through the mountain. The blue sword qi erupting from Arcade’s blade rushed toward the Knight of Ebenholz.
Swoosh.
The knight met his gaze and swung his sword.
Kwaaaaaaaaak—!!
Sword met sword, and mana exploded.
A flood of blue and pure white.
But his blue was overwhelmed by the knight's light. His mana shattered, his sword qi broke.
And yet, the knight stood in the same spot. He had bet everything he had, and the man hadn't moved a single step back.
“...A Resonance, is it?”
Maximillian spoke softly, wiping his cheek with his finger. A small droplet of blood smeared on his fingertip.
“A sword that resembles the sea.”
Arcade stared at the knight. He did not look away.
If death was what he had to face, he would meet it with open eyes.
“…”
The knight looked down at the boy for a long time. He saw the boy’s fortitude.
He was so different from the weak boy he himself had once been. This child possessed something he never had. It was a talent too precious to let fade away.
“Hone it.”
The knight turned away.
“So that one day, you can reclaim what you have lost.”
Leaving those words behind, the knight’s back slowly grew distant. Arcade watched him go in silence.
When he had completely vanished, the boy fell to his knees. The tension, and with it, the strength in his legs, gave out.
“Haah, haah…”
He let out a ragged, exhausted breath and realized that he had survived.
He didn't know if it was the knight's whim or if there was some other reason, but Arcade pushed himself back to his feet.
This mountain, filled with aberrations, littered with the corpses of cavalrymen and Hans.
There was still a path left for me to walk.