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I’d done it. I had definitely... defeated him.
A corpse that bled, now motionless.
The sensation of the blade sinking through flesh lingered in my palm.
I’d killed him. I...
I had taken a human life. Me...
I forced myself to accept the reality of it. This was the outcome I had sought by choosing to fight.
Therefore, I had to see it through.
"Surrender," I commanded. "If you don't, I’ll have to kill every last one of you."
I would do what needed to be done until the very end.
"I-It’s impossible... this can't be happening!"
"For Sir Liberto to lose... it has to be some kind of mistake!"
"Don't screw with us, you brat!"
One of the knights charged at me. Since his emblem had vanished, he no longer held a Crest Sword. He simply swung a desperate fist.
I watched him. And then—
Clang!
My emblem repelled the blow effortlessly.
The man collapsed, clutching his arm; I could hear the bone snap.
This was the power of an emblem—the power that ruled the world. I felt it instinctively now. As long as I held this, a human without an emblem couldn't even leave a scratch on me.
I finally understood why the power of the emblem was considered absolute. As they were now, even if there were a hundred of them, they wouldn't stand a chance.
"I’ll say it again. I don't have time. If it’s faster to just kill you all, I will. You have five seconds to answer. Otherwise..."
I leveled my sword at the man crouching on the ground.
"I’ll really have to kill you."
I poured cold, clear murderous intent into my voice.
Finally, one of the knights threw up both hands.
"We surrender! We yield! Please, treat us as prisoners of war!"
Following his lead, the others raised their hands one by one.
"Leo-boy!"
Old Man Beard, his muscles bulging, hurried forward. I breathed a sigh of relief. No one from the village had been hurt.
"There is much I want to ask, but we have no time. We must perform emergency treatment immediately."
"Old Man Beard... yeah!"
The villagers set to work on my mother. I prayed she could be saved.
Old Man Beard placed his left hand over the back of mine. Looking closely, I saw a faint, faded mark on his skin. It was the ghost of an emblem that had long since lost its light.
"...Is that?"
"Aye. I was once a knight serving the Sword King. Now, focus... visualize yourself granting me power."
"Okay."
I closed my eyes. I could feel the power of the emblem circulating through my veins. I focused on that sensation, trying to push it outward, to share it.
A golden light traveled through my emblem and flowed into Old Man Beard.
"Impressive, Leo-boy. So this is what it means to share an emblem's grace. Normally, one only receives power from a Master Emblem... but a King can become the master of all."
It worked. I had successfully shared the emblem’s power. Old Man Beard drew a sword from the glowing mark on his left hand.
"Leave things here to me. I may be retired, but I’m still a knight. We’ve done what we can for her, but she needs a doctor. There isn't one here, but in Fastress, there’s a Battle Medic I know. Their skill is the real deal."
"Understood!"
They brought a cart, and we carefully placed my mother onto it. Following Old Man Beard's instructions, I placed my hand over the emblem on her left hand and shared my power with her as well.
"With that, the emblem’s power should keep Nina-san stable for a while. But her wound is fatal. You don't have much time."
"I know! Thank you, Old Man Beard!"
I gripped the handle of the cart. Strengthened by my emblem, I could pull the weight of my mother over the mountain pass with ease. I set off for the neighboring town—toward the doctor who had saved me once before.
"Leo-boy, if the Dragonia Dragon Kingdom is truly invading, it’s going to be dangerous. That man Liberto was strong, but there are others who don't even compare. There are monsters out there you must not fight."
"I know. But I’m going. I’m going to save my mother no matter what. I’ve already decided."
"...I see. Go then! Leo-boy... I pray for your success in battle."
We shared a nod, and I took off running. With Old Man Beard there, the village would be safe. A single emblem holder could handle a crowd of non-emblem users without issue.
I didn't look back. I ran. I kept the pace as fast as I could while trying to keep the cart from jolting too violently. At this speed, it would take about an hour.
The journey was quiet. Eerily so.
Finally, the town of Fastress came into view. Great walls like castle ramparts surrounded it. It was massive, on a scale I’d never seen before.
But at the entrance stood a knight. His armor bore dragon decorations—undoubtedly a soldier of Dragonia.
I hid the cart in the forest.
"E-excuse me! Please, help!"
"Huh? A brat? Scram while I’m feeling generous... this is a war zone." The knight looked at me with bored eyes.
"Please! I have to get into town!"
"Are you deaf? Then just d—!?"
Before he could finish, I moved.
Slash!
I drew my sword and drove it home.
"It’s very important business," I whispered. "I don't have time to hesitate."
"You... little..."
With a heavy thud, the knight collapsed. I felt a pang of guilt for the sneak attack, but I was desperate. I hid the body and slipped into the town.
The streets were stained with blood and marked by the scars of struggle. I saw far too many corpses that weren't wearing armor.
"So they’re already here..."
It seemed Fastress had already fallen to the Dragon Kingdom. I moved through the shadows, scouting the situation. The streets were empty of civilians, but Dragonia knights were scattered everywhere. The occupation was complete.
I counted nearly twenty knights. Was that the standard size for a Knight Order?
"Stop it! Please!"
A scream rang out from the center of town. I took to the rooftops, leaping from building to building until I reached a large plaza with a fountain.
Hundreds of residents had been herded there.
"Stay put, woman!"
"Kyaa!"
"You bastards! Treating prisoners with dignity is the first rule of war! Especially women! Have you forgotten the code of chivalry!?"
The Dragonia knights were being confronted by the captured knights of our own country. One Dragonia soldier grabbed a woman by the hair and threw her roughly into the center of the plaza.
The knights of the Arcadia Sword Kingdom caught her. There were about ten of them in armor—likely the local garrison. Their Commander must have been killed, leaving them powerless to resist properly.
Everyone from the town seemed to be there, including infants. Babies were wailing, their cries triggering a chain reaction among the other children. Parents clung to them, weeping and praying.
"So damn noisy... maybe we should just kill the brats. They’ll probably die on the trip back to the capital anyway."
"Yeah. Better to just give them a Familia Emblem and make them Blessed Slaves."
I spotted three knights nearby. My mind raced. What do I do? Should I fight? Can I save them?
"God, shut up already! I’m already in a bad mood."
"I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’ll make them stop crying right now!"
A Dragonia knight, sword in hand, approached a mother clutching her child. One of the prisoner knights lurched to his feet.
"You cowards! Laying hands on women and children... have you no pride as knights!?"
"Then try protecting them with that pride of yours."
The soldier raised his sword. The mother squeezed her eyes shut, hugging her child. The prisoner knight spread his arms, gritting his teeth as he prepared to shield them with his body.
He was trying to protect them. He was desperately trying to guard what was precious.
If he could do that, then I had no reason to hesitate.
I dropped down into the plaza.
"Waaaaah! Mama! Papa!"
I walked toward the center of the square, wailing at the top of my lungs. The Dragonia knights snapped their heads toward me.
"Tch! Another one? Where'd this brat come from?"
"Oi, get over here! Stop crying, you're giving me a headache! I'll kill you!"
Two guards approached me, completely off-balance and careless. They weren't even looking at my face. One more step... just one more step.
Now.
"Huh?"
I struck before they could even blink.
Slash!
I drew my Crest Sword from my left hand and cut them down with a single, full-strength horizontal sweep. Both wounds were fatal.
As his comrades collapsed in a spray of blood, the third knight stood frozen, unable to process what had just happened. He went for his sword, but he was too slow. I cut him down where he stood.
It was a cheap trick, perhaps, but as they said—this was war. I’d fake-cry as much as I had to. If they were foolish enough to let their guard down on a battlefield, that was on them.
I was going to save my mother. No matter what.
"Y-you! You’re an emblem holder!? At that age!?"
The final knight guarding the perimeter lunged at me. He wasn't careless this time; he’d seen his friends die. We clashed, blades locking. Fighting a grown, trained knight head-on was a struggle for my small frame.
But...
"Haaaaah!"
"Guh?! What's with this kid? He’s too fast!"
Compared to Liberto, he was nothing.
That was when it happened.
"Ooooooh! Chivalry Tackle!"
The knight who had stood up earlier to protect the family slammed into the Dragonia soldier from behind. The enemy stumbled forward, right into my path.
"Nice assist!"
I drove my blade into the soldier’s back and twisted. A death scream echoed through the plaza. All three guards were dead.
"What was that noise?"
"It came from the plaza!"
The shouts of more enemies came from the streets. Naturally, the rest of the occupation force was converging on the disturbance. Even with my power, if I was surrounded by dozens of knights who were actually on guard, I wouldn't stand a chance. I wasn't that arrogant.
I was still just a kid. But that didn't mean I was out of options.
"Mister!" I shouted to the knight who had helped me.
"M-Mister? Are you talking to me? I’m only in my twenties... No, never mind that! Who are you!?"
"That doesn't matter! You’re knights, right? You can still fight!"
"N-no... our Master, the Commander, is dead. Our emblems have lost their light."
"I know! I’ll give you the power!"
"You don't mean..."
The emblem on my left hand erupted with a brilliant golden radiance.
"You still have the will to fight, don't you!?"
The Regalia Emblem pulsed, commanding them to take up their swords once more.