I ended up forming a temporary party with Char and Leticia.
Early in the morning, I arrived at the royal capital's East Gate a little ahead of schedule, but the two of them were already waiting.
Leticia stood beside the gate, while Char lingered beneath a roadside tree several meters away. Without so much as exchanging glances, they acted like complete strangers. Yet the moment they noticed me, both of their expressions softened in unison.
"Good morning, Leon!"
"Good morning, Leon-san!"
Their voices overlapped perfectly, and their gazes immediately clashed.
"I greeted him first."
"Oh, did you? I didn't hear a thing."
I had known from the start it would turn out like this. Since I was the one who brought them together, it was my job to mediate between them.
"Did I keep you waiting?"
"No. I only just arrived as well."
"Same here. More importantly, are the three of us really going together?"
Char fired right back at Leticia's doubt.
"What are you saying at this late stage? Though I certainly wouldn't mind if it were just Leon-san and me."
"What a coincidence. I was thinking the exact same thing."
"Please try your best not to get in the way of a mage like me."
"Right back at you. If monsters attack, feel free to hide behind a knight and tremble."
"My, my. How terribly reassuring coming from someone who can only swing a sword around."
"Are you picking a fight with me?"
"I am merely stating facts."
With me caught in the middle, they glared at each other once more.
"Let's go over the details of the request first. You can argue after that."
"I am not arguing."
"This mage is just picking fights all on her own."
"..."
Invisible sparks flew between them again.
"Ahem. First, regarding our mission..."
Char cleared her throat lightly and began explaining our task.
"Our destination is the Roden Great Forest spreading east of the royal capital. Starting a few days ago, monsters that should normally fight over territory have reportedly crossed species lines to form a horde. It is likely a rare anomaly."
An anomaly, huh...
I had heard of such things in passing, but to think they actually existed.
"They include ogres, Armor Bears, and wyverns. Two B-rank adventurer parties sent to investigate have already gone missing, and mana reactions equivalent to A-rank have been observed deep within the forest. Our mission is to search for them, determine the cause of the anomaly, and subjugate the ringleader."
"Hmm..."
It certainly sounded like it wouldn't be an easy task.
"I've been thinking about this for a while, but it feels like monster activity has been unusually high ever since I came to the capital. Is this normal?"
Leticia answered my question.
"No. It's clearly much more intense than before. Sightings have increased not just in dungeons, but along highways and near human settlements. Subjugation requests submitted to the Knight Order have surged rapidly over the past few months as well."
"Within the Mage Order, mana disturbances have also been observed across various regions. The timing of their emergence is nearly identical to the monsters becoming active."
Char continued with a serious expression.
"Whether they are being driven out by something, or if there is another cause entirely... We have yet to grasp the reason."
"Which means this horde might also be one of those anomalies."
"Yes. The probability is high."
Monsters growing active, and mana disturbances occurring across the land.
It felt like something was brewing, but as someone who had only just become an adventurer, I couldn't say for certain.
I only hoped this uneasy feeling was nothing more than needless worry. With that, we departed from the royal capital, heading toward the site of our first mission—the Roden Great Forest.
"Hey, I've been wondering."
"What is it?"
Char walked pressed right against my right side, while Leticia walked on my left, keeping a slight distance.
"Leon, are you really a genius mage too...? Truly?"
"Who knows. It doesn't really feel like it to me."
"Heh-heh! Allow me to explain!"
Char took a step forward, proudly puffing out her chest.
"Leon-san is an undeniable, genuine genius. Parallel control that commands five fireballs independently, the Redirection Barrier that deflects attacks, and the computational and processing power to rewrite the spell formula itself mid-combat. He performs all of these simultaneously, as naturally as breathing. I know of no other mage as extraordinary as Leon-san."
For some reason, Char looked as proud as if she were talking about herself.
"In other words, the path Leon-san should take is not that of a knight, but of a mage!"
"That last part is just your own wish, isn't it?"
Refusing to be outdone, Leticia stepped forward as well.
"Still, Leon's swordsmanship is extraordinary too. He completely deflected my Aureus using only his right hand!"
"With one hand...?"
Char tilted her head in disbelief.
"Yes. He didn't block it with raw strength. He read the sword's trajectory in an instant, subtly shifted the center of gravity and blade angle, and cleanly dissipated the force. His spacing, his footwork, his judgment—everything was honed to perfection."
As she spoke, passion crept into Leticia's voice.
"Even I have never seen swordplay so utterly devoid of waste. Leon is an undeniable, genuine knight."
"You speak awfully passionately about it."
"I merely explained the facts. The path Leon should take is not that of a mage, but of a knight!"
"In the end, you're saying the exact same thing!"
While it was flattering to be praised by both of them, I had to step in.
"Please don't fight so much, both of you."
Thinking of the old man and the old lady, I stared quietly at my hands.
"The sword and magic each have their own merits. Because they can achieve different things, I believe that putting them side by side allows us to reach even greater heights."
I looked between the two of them.
"I understand the history of conflict, and that you both have principles you can't compromise on. I know it's not a gap that can be easily bridged. Even so, if you two can acknowledge each other's strength and join hands, we'll surely reach heights none of us could attain alone. I want to be the bridge that connects you. So, won't you start by simply getting to know each other?"
The two hesitated for a moment before finally speaking up.
"...Well, I've heard she's a genius mage. I have no intention of denying her ability. If we fight together, I might even see what my swordplay lacks."
"...I also acknowledge that Leticia-san is the foremost knight of our generation. It is true that there are things only a swordsman can see."
The two exchanged glances and nodded ever so slightly.
"So... I'll at least make an effort to understand her."
"Yes. I have no objections either."
"Just so you know, that doesn't mean we're getting along."
"What a coincidence. The feeling is mutual."
"That's more than enough for now. Thank you."
It would probably take time before they truly understood each other. Even so, this was a definite step forward.
Before long, the moment we reached the entrance to the Roden Great Forest, a mana so dense it made our skin crawl surged out from deep within the trees.
"...There are a lot of them."
"Yes. It clearly exceeds the numbers mentioned in the report."
"The flow of mana is terribly disturbed as well. As expected, this does not seem to be an ordinary horde."
I took my staff in my left hand and rested my right hand on the hilt of the sword sheathed at my waist.
"I'll take the lead. Leticia, hold the vanguard with me. Char, support us with magic from the rear."
"Understood."
"Yes. Leave it to me."
"—Let's go."
With that word as our signal, we stepped into the forest swirling with bizarre mana. The first mission undertaken by staff and sword together had begun.
†
"Gard. Stop."
"Mm."
The faint light radiating from Irena's staff illuminated a massive stone gate towering at the dead end. Countless spell formulas were engraved across its surface. However, cracks ran through part of it, and black mana pulsed and leaked through the gaps.
The two who had once stood at the pinnacle of the kingdom as the strongest Sword Saint and Sage in history—not a shred of their usual gentleness remained on their faces.
"Irena. As expected, the seal is..."
"Yes. I'll repair it, but at this rate..."
"There is nothing for it. We must handle this ourselves."
"That's right. This is our karma. Our punishment for looking away twenty years ago and running from the past..."
Irena's voice was tinged with deep regret.
"Aye. Even if we must lay down our lives, we shall do it ourselves."
"...Yes."
Gard gently placed his hand over Irena's as she stood beside him.
The two had long known they did not have much time left to live. That was precisely why they had quietly determined where, and for what purpose, they would spend the remainder of their days.
"I wonder if Leon is doing well."
"After earning his qualifications, I imagine he is living quietly somewhere. The feud between staff and sword has nothing to do with that child. Leon-kun has always been clever, never one to walk into trouble on his own."
"...Aye, that is true."
The Sword Saint and the Sage. Over their long lives, the two had met countless people and witnessed both the light and the darkness of the kingdom. Yet, even they had made one single, massive miscalculation.
That was—Leon's devotion.
How dearly Leon treasured the love and teachings he had received from them. And how deeply indebted he felt toward them. The sheer strength of those feelings was something not even the two of them could fathom.
Staff and sword.
The long-standing conflict that had split the kingdom in two, and the genius who descended into that rift, inheriting both powers.
The scattered threads of fate circled—and now, everything was converging upon a single place.