Chapter 28 “The Knight’s Resolution”

While still leaning on to Reiyes’ shoulder, I looked at the burnt remain of the corrupted beast. The amount of smoke that came from the charred remain is quite a lot. The smell of burnt flesh and fur filled the air, making it unpleasant to breath. To think that I was on that beast’s body not long ago. Really. That was such a stupid plan. It works, but it is still a stupid one nonetheless.

But…I guess we really have no choice but to do just that. The Marked Soul is already weakened to a dangerous state while the corrupted beast is clearly desperate and willing to suck the Marked Soul’s life force to the very last drop. If we try another method, the Marked Soul might have already been destroyed. Yes, you’re right. The moment a soul loses its entire life force, it will be destroyed. Very logical, right?

But a strong soul can sometimes defy that logic. Such as the Marked Soul. Due to its strong life force, it can be move into something else. Or it might just wander around as a wandering soul and latch itself onto something else, be it an object or a living being. That is why sometimes we heard that an object that is used by someone powerful becomes a mighty artifact. Although not always the case, most of the time it is due to that phenomenon. The soul of that powerful owner has latched itself onto the object, giving it a strange power.

In the case with the current Marked Soul, I suspect that it is the same. The sword that is in my hand probably belongs to the one that carried the Marked Soul. For one reason or another, the body of the Marked Soul died, leaving its soul latched onto the sword. And, once again, due to one reason or another, it also left embedded onto the beast. I also don’t really know whether the beast has already been corrupted at that moment or not. It might actually be the trigger that made the beast turned into a corrupted one. If that is the case, then the beast has been corrupted due to being exposed to such a powerful source of life force.

And that’s why the corrupted beast’s soul reacted so violently when I tried to sever the connecting thread between the two of them. It has deemed the Marked Soul as one of its own, thus making any attempt to separate them as a hostile action. With that in mind, I can’t just sever their connection so easily. Sure, I can forcefully do it. But that might damage the Marked Soul in the process.

That led me to my decision. If I want to prioritize the Marked Soul’s safety, the only thing I can do is to destroy the one that is endangering it. The corrupted beast’s soul. And, yes, I can destroy the beast’s soul directly. But that might also led to the event where the Marked Soul moved from the sword onto the beast’s body, using it as its own vessel. I want to avoid that at all cost. Transferring an unstable soul into an unstable vessel is just a bad idea. Then I decided to destroy the corrupted beast’s soul naturally. And that is to destroy the vessel. Its body.

But destroying it little by little will still risk the beast tapping onto the Marked Soul’s life force, endangering it. What we need is to destroy it completely without any single chance of it recovering. Not just by cutting its head or stabbing its heart. We need to destroy it to the extent that not a speck of its flesh remains.

That is where Cyrielle and her powerful Marked Artifact come in place. Her artifact, the Igneous Hatchet, is a powerful artifact that can let out a terrifying wave of fire at the user’s command. Add that to her magnificent affinity with the Fire element, it has become such a terrifying weapon of mass destruction. And that is just what we need. She can burn the beast’s body completely without leaving a single piece of flesh left untouched.

There is only one down side to this plan. Her spell will not only destroy the beast’s body, but also the sword that is struck inside the body. Just as one might expected, her spell is crazy powerful, that it is enough to melt stone. The fact that she was able to destroy The Bears of Saxifell’s Arcane Puppets effortlessly is evident enough. Although their body isn’t made from the strongest material available, they are still considered to be a strong and durable material. Furthermore, they are tempered and enchanted with various spell to be able to withstand fire based magic. Even those aren’t enough to repel Cyrielle’s attack. And what will a simple sword that is not enchanted with any fire defensive magic will be able to do in front of that power? None. The sword will melt completely.

To avoid that, we have to extract the sword just at the right moment. We can’t do that after the beast’s body is destroyed since the sword will already be destroyed. We also can’t do that before we destroy the beast’s body since that will only damage the Marked Soul. The only time we can do that is right after the body has been destroyed enough that it is unable to contain the soul. Unfortunately, no one can determine that condition from afar.

And thus that task fell to me. I fulfilled the two most important criteria for that task. First, I can withstand Cyrielle’s magic by enveloping myself with shield made from pure magic energy while also strengthening my whole body. It will not be enough to make me get away unscathed, but still enough to let me walk away with my life and all of my limbs intact. And secondly, I have the ability to see the exact point when a body is unable to contain any soul.

In the end, we managed to extract the sword that contained the Marked Soul without damaging the soul any further. We also managed to destroy the corrupted beast completely. That is a big plus for me since if left alone the beast might endanger the town. That is the last thing I want.

But…

“What is it, Nerva?” Reiyes’ voice entered my ear. “Something’s wrong with the sword?”

“…It’s not the sword.” If it is the sword, then I wouldn’t have to worry at all. “But…the soul inside it.”

“…What about it?”

“It’s weak.” I frown as I said that. “Its existence is getting to small. I’m afraid that it might die out soon if we don’t do anything.”

“Argh! Even after all that, we aren’t finished rescuing this stupid soul? I hate this!”

“Hmm…it is a troubling situation.”

Hearing both of my comrade’s voice of disappointment, I couldn’t help but also agree with them. This particular mission has been such a troubling even one after another. I’m even tempted to agreeing with the fact that the soul we have to rescue is stupid. But let’s not do that since I haven’t really heard the real story behind it.

“So what are we going to now, Nerva?”

“Let’s see…I…actually don’t know.” I shook my head after that. “I really don’t know.”

“How long till the soul disappear?” Reiyes’ questioned me.

“…A day at most.” I looked at the sword as to sense the soul inside it. I think it might even be less than that. Maybe the shock of being pulled away from the corrupted beast affected it much more than I anticipated. Or maybe Cyrielle’s powerful magic affects it too? Ugh…whatever the reason, the fact that this soul will withered out if left alone remains.

“…Let me rest for a while.” I said to them as I put down the sword. “Maybe I can think of something then.”

“Very well then.”

“Nerva!”

“A-Ah, my dear Eryell.” The moment I heard her voice, I felt my fatigue healed. It’s just really soothed my soul to her voice. Call me sentimental. I don’t mind. “Ah, you’ve recovered.” The fact that her heartbeats has settled down to her usual one is the only evident that I need to know that. And also that she could run toward me without any sign of her previous injury affecting her.

“Y-Yes, I have. Thanks to th–What happened to you!?” She screamed out as soon as she realized my condition. Her eyes widened as she said that and her expression grimaced. “Y-Your eyes!? What happened!?”

…Wait…My eyes? Oh…right…I forgot that I still have my Soul Eyes activated. It is too late to deactivate the spell as to not surprise her. Might as well explain it to her. And also I can finally see her beauty. That is an added bonus for me. A very welcomed added bonus for me.

“This is uhm…my magic. It is not permanent, unfortunately.” I smiled at her. Yes, it is unfortunate for me that I can’t always see your beautiful face. But that is the fate I have to walk as one that have no eyes.

“I s-see. A-Are you injured?”

“I’m fine. Although my clothes are not, but that’s fine.” I then gestured toward Reiyes who is still helping me standing up to let me go.

“Don’t act tough, Nerva.”

“I’m not.” After that, he let me go and I tried to stand by my own. “O-Oh!”

“Watch out!”

The moment I was leaning forward a bit much, Eryell grabbed my shoulder. Her heartbeats have turned faster, as expected. It seems that I have surprised her again. Please forgive me for that, Eryell. A quiet ‘I told you so’ from Reiyes reached my ear but I ignored that.

“Are you really okay? There are…burn marks on… your clothes…everywhere …”

“Don’t worry. I’m fine. Just a little tired for using too much magic.” I tried to separate myself as to not worry her, but her grip on my shoulder kept me from doing that. “Really, I’m fine. I just need a moment to recover.”

“…Don’t push yourself too much.”

“Don’t worry, my dear Eryell. Moreover, how’s Ingolf?”

“Ingolf? Oh, y-yes, Sir Lange. He’s fine but…” Hmm? Why the pause? That sounded ominous for me.

“What is it?”

“He is…uhm...” Why did she hesitate to say anything? “…Let me take you to him.”

“Okay. …Uhm…, you can let me go, you know?”

“…Just let me do it.” Hmm? I can’t say no to her when she said that with such a depressed voice and also similarly depressed looks. I guess…that’s fine for now.

“Ah…Nerva…”

“Ingolf, my friend.” Immediately after hearing his tired voice, I tried to inspect his heartbeats. It sounded quite calm and in order. Except from his missing limb, I think he will be all right. He is, of course, in need of a proper medical treatment later on in the town. My potion, although very effective and potent, is still far from being able to heal him properly. The most it can do it stabilize his condition and also to give him extra stamina. “You look fine.”

He then looked at me and I could sense his sight landed onto my glowing eyes. I guess that is understandable. His eyes widened for a split second, but then returned to his usual one. But somehow…I couldn’t feel his usual vigor there. I know that he has been in a terrible battle, but…this is a bit unexpected. I can see why Eryell hesitated to tell me.

“…I see that you have somehow gained sight, Nerva.” He then let out a mocking laugh while still lying down near a tree. “But you are still blind if you can call my condition as fine.”

“I see…” Oh, I understand. His body is not the only thing. It is his spirit that is mostly damaged at this point. No potion can heal that kind of wound. “My dear Eryell, let me sit near him.”

“Are you okay?”

“Standing is still difficult for me. Sitting is fine.” I said that as I swallowed my pride. Yeah, I can’t fool her after that show of weakness. Might as well be honest. That reminds me. She didn’t scold me or anything even after I’ve been playing tough and didn’t admit to being weak. I guess that’s her way of being considerate. “And…I need to have a talk with him.”

“…I’ll be right near you if you need anything.” She then helped me sit down. I also used the sword together with my cane to support my body to avoid another mishap like before. After that, she really stood near me, as in only a few steps away. I kept feeling her sharp gaze was pointed at me. Let’s just ignore that for now.

“So Ingolf, my friend. You are indeed not in the best of shape, but certainly not in the worst, right? You’re still alive, after all.”

“Then how about my subordinates?” A sharp glare was pointed at me. “How about them? They’re dead! Killed so easily like a fly! That…that damn beast! We probably couldn’t bury their body properly either! They’re mangled! And after I said to them that I will lead them. Now look at me!” His frown worsened. “What a weakling I am. Not only that I led them to their death, I’ve lost my arm. Is that what you called fine, Nerva!?” I could say that his frustration is justified.

We just looked at each other in silence. I could sense that his heartbeats have turned higher, sign of him becoming angrier and angrier. But then it lowered down. Combined that with the heavy sigh he let out and also his expression, it seemed that he felt worse by the minute.

“And here I thought that I have gotten stronger.” Then a loud laugh came out of his mouth. It was not a laugh of joy, but a laugh of self-deprecation. “I trained hard every single day. I meditated to increase my magic. I followed your every advises. I even have a damn warning in my dream! Every single damn day! And…look what I’ve reached. Nothing…Only death…and death…and death…” He grimaced as he said that. His vision was thrown onto the far, as if he might find an answer on the horizon.

I could feel my chest tightened as I heard his every self-mocking word. I didn’t really predict him to be that mortified at the way the event has unfolded. I know that he is a serious person, but to feel it to that extent.

The man in front of me really lost his spirit. There is not a single trace of his gallant attitude that he displayed when he fought against me. Not a single bit left. His spirit is wounded more than his body. I guess what burdened him the most might be the thought that since he has received prophetic dreams over and over again, he felt responsible to be the one that can prevent the worst from happening. In reality, he did prevent the worst. But a lot of damage was inflicted upon his unit. From what I’ve heard from Reiyes’ report, the beast has managed to decimate a lot of the knights. Even those that were pulled away from the battlefield have mostly died, unable to recover in time. The casualty is quite a lot. It is not the worst result, but still very bad.

But…this might be the answer to my problem. I know that I might sound heartless when I said this. What befall on those knights is anything but my responsibilities. The only life I am concern with at the moment it people close to me, myself, and the one stated in my mission, the Marked Soul. At the moment, my life and the people close to me is quite safe. We are exhausted, but safe. The Marked Soul however, is in danger of vanishing out of existence. The situation at the moment is actually good for me. I can use Ingolf’s current condition to my advantage. I can save the soul easily. The price…will be paid by him.

“Ingolf, my friend.” He didn’t react even after I called him. “You are weak.” Oh, a twitch from his eyes. “Just as you said. There’s nothing to argue about that.”

“…” He remained silent. But that twitch was enough to tell me that he heard me.

“Nerva, don’t you think th–“ I raised my hand before Eryell could finish her words, stopping her. I know that I seemed cruel, but please bear with it.

“But realizing that is a good thing. It is much better than to claim yourself strong without knowing your true worth. With knowing your weakness, you can improve yourself.”

“Huh! As if improving myself will do me any good. Do you think I just sat there without doing anything?”

“Let me tell you something. What you’ve done in term of ‘improving yourself’ is training and more training, right?” I then looked at him. “You’ve done all you could. And that is the limit mere training could bring you too.”

“Are you…suggesting that there is something else?” A smile crept on my face. I then put forward the sword. He then scowled at me. “Is that your suggestion? A better weapon?”

“Better weapon is another solution. It will make you stronger. But then your own self is still weak. Nothing’s change. This, my friend, is just a medium to gain that strength.”

“Are you taking me for a fool?” Oh, he is angered. Not the best reaction, but still a reaction.

“No, no, no. Hear me first.” I let out a cough before starting. “For starter, you are weak. You even admit that. But now that you’ve lost one of your arms, you are much weaker than before. Combined that with the guilt you are carrying in your heart, not only your body is weak, your spirit is also weak. Much weaker than before. In fact, in your current condition, you can’t really fulfill your duty as a knight.”

“Nerva!”

“No, Ms. Reystone.” Ingolf lifted his hand to stopped Eryell from rebuking me. “He is right. I’m far from strong. Much less now with one of my arm missing. And…he’s right. I…couldn’t fill my duty anymore…not in this wretched condition.” Actually, he could. It’s not his body that kept him from doing that. It is his heavily weighed mind. But I kept silent.

“In this weapon, there is a…hmm…Curse? Blessing? Well…something along that line. Whether it is a curse or a blessing, you have to decide. But one thing is certain. You can gain strength from this sword. You can even recover your missing limb again.” A glint of hope appeared in his hopeless gaze. “It has similar strength as to what gave me this soul eyes,” I said while pointing at my glowing eyes. “So what do you say, my friend?”

“…Is there any catch?” I expected that. “It is a deal too good to be true wasted on someone like me. What’s the catch, Nerva?”

“Sharp. Even in your condition you still retain your sharp mind. Impressive.” I clapped my hand several times, earning a glare from him. And probably from Eryell too since I felt an unpleasant sensation from behind me. “In exchange for a new limb and also strength you have never imagined, your life will change.”

“Change? In a good way or a bad way?”

“I don’t know.” I shook my head lightly. “Honestly, I don’t know. You might be chosen as the kingdom’s greatest warrior. Or you might be framed by someone due to jealousy and forced to live as a wanted men, fleeing onto another country. You might get plunge straight into the middle of a struggle of power between two noble clans.” I looked at him. “The possibility is endless. The only certain thing is that your life will never be a dull one. Is that a good thing? Is that a bad thing? You decide.”

“…Can I have some ti–“

“I’m sorry, but no.” I stopped his sentence. “This thing will lose its power soon. If you want it, you have to get it now.” I looked at his expression and also tried to hear his heartbeats. All the sign led me to think that all he need is one little push. “Personally, I want you to have it since you have the potential to use the power reside in this sword. I can feel it. Trust the one that has trained you for the last few days.”

After that, no one speak a single word. Just by looking at his expression, I could know that Ingolf is weighing his choice carefully. He should be. The one in the line is his own future after all.

A few moments passed without any sign of him saying anything. Then he stood up and looked at me. His eyes showed not a single sign of hesitation.

“I’ll do it.”

“There’s no turning back after that. Just a friendly last warning.”

“No, I’m sure of it.” He nodded. “There’s no way I’m coming back without a good set of arm.”

“Very well.” I clapped my hand once and then stood. I then grabbed the sword by the hilt and walked near him. “Take it,” I said to him as I put forward the weapon. He immediately grabbed it without a sign of hesitation with his remaining hand. That is good. That will make the whole process much faster.

“…Now what?” A confused expression appeared on his face as nothing happened. Did he just think that some kind of strength will enter his body just like that? Well, there are some magic artifacts that can do that, but that sword is not one of that.

“It will not do anything. It needs a catalyst to work.”

“And the catalyst is w–GUH!!!” Ingolf couldn’t finish his words. The reason? Because I planted my hand inside his chest. But not a single drop of blood could be seen. “W-What is this!?”

“Nerva! What are you do–What!? Let me through!”

“Calm down, milady.” I could hear Cyrielle’s voice from behind me. It seemed that she stopped Eryell from interfering with my ‘work’. “I advise you to stand back for your safety and also your friend’s safety.” Although what she said is not wrong, the way she phrased it made it somewhat unnerving and worrying.

I wanted to give an explanation, but doing so might break my concentration. With that in my mind, I continued my plan. I glanced at Ingolf and saw his face was shocked. There might not be blood or anything, but that doesn’t mean that what I did to him was painless. It might…sting a bit.

“Close your eyes and concentrate.” I said to him. “Forget everything around you and focus your mind.”

“H-Huh?”

“Don’t ask. Do it.” Although I could sense some hesitation from his eyes, he followed my instruction. I am thankful that he trusted me to that extent.

As he did that, I felt a sudden change inside him. I can feel his soul pulsing. Without wasting any time, I quickly pour power into that the direction of his soul and then onto the soul inside the sword. The moment my power connected with those two, I pulled out my hand and then took a step back. Together with that, I felt my sight started to dim out.

“N-Nerva, your eyes…”

Yes, the glow of my Soul Eyes has faded out slightly that it has turned into a dim glow. I will soon return to being blind once again. That last act of connecting those two souls has taken quite a bit of my magic energy, making it impossible for me to continue using soul eyes for long.

“Don’t worry, Ingolf. You have a much more important thing to be concern of.” I smiled at him. “Oh, do bite your teeth.”

“Huh? What do you–GUUUAAARRRGGGHHHH!!!!” The sound of him falling onto his knees reached my ears after his painful shout.

Then his arm that has been bitten off by the beast started to glow. The glowing limb got brighter as Ingolf’s shout got louder. It seems that the amount of pain has increased with each passing time.

After a few seconds –which I presumed might feel like a lot longer for him– the glow stopped. Then the stump that was there is replaced by a muscular looking arm that has not a single trace of wound on it. I let out a breath of relief as I see that. That means that the soul has been connected and has strengthened each other. The Marked Soul is finally saved for good.

Author Note:

The next is the epilogue.

Once again, I'm sorry for updating this after a month.

Please give me comment and opinion for this story, or even critique so that I can improve my writing. Do tell me if you find something strange or wrong with the chapter. Thank you for reading!