Side Story: The Sword in the Deep Sea
One day, a sword was presented to Tout. It was wrapped haphazardly in coarse linen, so Tout, without much expectation, ordered a vassal to unwrap the cloth. As the tattered fabric was peeled away, the sword within revealed itself. Its blade, adorned with flowing black wave patterns, shimmered in the light, occasionally appearing blue depending on the angle.
Tout rose from his seat and lifted the sword. He held it high, letting the sunlight catch its surface.
A faint blue hue, strangely captivating, drew the gaze of anyone who looked upon it. The hilt was intricately carved for a comfortable grip, and beneath the blade, delicate patterns of onyx and gold leaf gleamed. The deep blue waves visible beneath the silver edge of the blade made the sword breathtakingly beautiful.
Tout glanced at his beloved sword at his waist, stroking it gently. He swung the new sword a few times, examining it from different angles, seemingly lost in thought.
After a moment, Tout summoned a vassal and ordered two anvils to be brought. Closing his eyes, he waited for the anvils to arrive.
When he opened his eyes, two anvils stood side by side before him, with the blue-patterned sword placed between them.
Tout drew his cherished sword from his waist and struck the new sword on the anvils.
He had expected the blade to snap in two and fall to the ground, but his prediction was wrong. The sword remained unscathed, perfectly intact.
At first, Tout's face betrayed shock, but that soon gave way to rising anger. He struck again, his fury fueling each blow. The sound of metal clashing echoed through the king's hall, mingling with Tout's shouts, reverberating beyond the hall and throughout the palace. No matter how many times he struck, the sword would not break. Even when placed in the kingdom's hottest furnace, the sword, already forged, refused to change shape under any means.
For hundreds of days, Tout tried every method to destroy the sword. He left it in the furnace for days, used hundreds of oxen to try to snap it, and hammered it relentlessly through countless phases of the moon.
This sword must not exist. No sword can surpass mine.
As his obsession and madness grew, one day, Tout summoned his vassals and set sail for the sea. Dozens of ships followed the king as they ventured forth. After praying to the wind gods and receiving their blessings, the king's fleet sailed far into the vast ocean.
Only when they reached the middle of the boundless sea, where the horizon was empty and no islands were in sight, did Tout order all ships to halt. There, he cast the sword—the nightmare that had tormented him—into the depths of the sea.
The sword that should never have existed, that should not remain in this world, was now gone from his sight. My sword is the most beautiful, the strongest, the smoothest, the sharpest, the keenest in all the world.
My sword alone. Only my sword… irreplaceable, my everything… my all… now one. Tout felt relief, reassurance, and longing…
And descended into madness.
Side Story: The Sword in the Deep Sea - End -
Gravel and Gulick drew closer, their distance shrinking. Gulick's subordinates and soldiers paused their own battles, parting to form a circular stage around the two, creating a small arena for their duel.
Some of Gulick's men, muttering, "There's no such thing as a duel on the battlefield." fired arrows at Gravel. But in an instant, Iris appeared, her sword severing their arms. The bows and arrows they held fell into pools of their own blood as they collapsed.
"Don't move from where you stand."
At Iris's command, Gulick's men, who had been charging forward with weapons raised to attack her, froze. Only after the head of a bandit rolled across the ground did they finally heed her words, silently watching the confrontation between Gravel and Gulick from where they stood.
"The lady knight's working hard to set the stage, huh? Heh heh."
Gulick squinted, flashing a bitter smile as he watched Iris sheathe her sword and walk back to her position.
"Phew, today's been full of heavy lifting. But since I've got something to gain, I guess I'd better step up."
Exhaling deeply, Gulick straightened his stance. Before him stood the robed adventurer wielding a sword… a lady knight whose movements were almost impossible to track, the morale of his men, the details of the mission—complex thoughts swirled in his mind, but he decided to focus on the goal in front of him.
"Here I come!"
Lowering his stance, Gulick closed the distance to Gravel in an instant, swinging his sword upward toward Gravel's neck. A sharp metallic clang rang out as Gulick's sword shattered into pieces.
"So, was that the sword's power earlier? Or magic?"
"Who knows?"
"Oh? Keeping secrets? Well, I've got plenty of blades."
Gulick crouched, drawing three daggers from the sheaths strapped to his thigh—two in his right hand, one in his left.
"Let's see if you can block these!"
Focusing his energy into the dagger in his left hand, Gulick threw it. Instead of the usual sound of metal clashing, a deep, resonant thud echoed as the dagger was deflected by Gravel's sword, embedding itself into the ground with a deep crater.
"Huh? Not the level of an adventurer you'd find in a backwater like this. That was an attack that could pierce even a decent knight's armor."
"Is that so?"
Gravel responded, parrying the two remaining daggers that followed.
"Hey! Someone toss me a sword! Preferably a long one!"
Backing away to create distance, Gulick shouted to his men behind him.
"Boss! Here, catch!"
Two greatswords flew through the air, embedding themselves into the ground. Gulick approached, pulling the swords free and slinging them over his shoulders.
"Alright! A bit heavy, but manageable. Just the right weight."
Gulick swung the two greatswords, testing their heft.
"Hmm… (Should I deactivate Tout's sword now?)"
Gravel, gripping his sword, pondered. The activation of the Sword of the East End's power had been flawless. Gulick's men had already thoroughly tested Tout's sword before he came to rescue Diara, and in this duel with Gulick, it was starting to hinder the sword techniques he'd learned from Iris.
'This Gulick guy seems pretty skilled…'
A habit Gravel had developed since arriving in this other world: observing the flow of an opponent's mana, its application within their body, and their combat efficiency to gauge their strength. He could tell that Gulick, standing before him, was far superior to the other soldiers or bandits.
"Thinking too much, aren't you?"
Gulick leaped high, both greatswords in hand, and brought them down toward the ground.
Gravel raised his sword overhead, blocking Gulick's strike, but the sword in his hand was no longer the same one he'd been holding moments before.
'The sword didn't break. What's going on? A different sword? There wasn't time for that. Some kind of magic that changes the sword's appearance?'
In that fleeting moment, Gulick's thoughts raced as he processed the change before him.
"Hahaha! Did the magic on your sword wear off or something?"
Gravel pushed back against Gulick's sword, forcing him to retreat.
Still, this Gulick guy… he's the strongest I've faced so far. He's skilled in combat.
Regaining his stance after pushing Gulick back, Gravel reflected. Gulick's composure while facing him, whether it was bravado or not, his adaptability in combat even after his sword broke under the Sword of the East End's power, and his seamless attacks without faltering breath—Gravel felt he needed to continue this fight. It wasn't about experience points like in a game, but a different kind of experience he could gain.
"You don't seem like an ordinary adventurer. What's your deal?"
Gulick slung one of the greatswords over his shoulder, addressing Gravel as he prepared for the next attack.
"Let's just say I'm a traveler wandering here and there."
"Ha! That's not convincing at all!"
Gulick's attack came like an arrow loosed from a bowstring. The speed of his strikes, wielding two greatswords, was almost unbelievable. Even after his first attack was blocked, a relentless barrage followed. The greatswords slashed and swung, met by Gravel's blade, producing a continuous roar of clashing metal.
"Hahaha! Still got plenty of room to spare, traveler!?"
Gulick laughed, exhaling heavily.
"Hmph!"
Seeing Gravel block his attacks with ease, Gulick gathered more strength, delivering a powerful horizontal slash with both swords. Yet Gravel deflected it effortlessly. What infuriated Gulick most was that, despite clearly being superior, Gravel's expression and demeanor showed no trace of arrogance or overconfidence as he met each strike.
"Damn it! Damn it! DAMN IT!"
Gulick's attacks grew laced with fury. But the more he swung, the clearer it became. The man blocking his strikes was stronger than anyone he'd ever faced.
'I can't just keep defending. Time to go on the offensive.'
Gravel focused mana into his sword, recalling Iris's teachings.
'First, spread the concentrated mana around the sword, like wrapping it… and hold it steady so it doesn't dissipate. To increase power, layer it multiple times or envelop it with a larger amount of mana at once.'
"For now, just once."
The space around Gravel's sword shimmered, like heat rising from the ground.
'Then, swing the sword quickly, as if releasing the mana wrapped around it!'
As Gravel swung, the shimmering energy detached from the blade, hurtling toward Gulick.
"What the—?!"
Gulick tried to block the projectile, faster than a crossbow bolt, by crossing his two swords, but it was futile.
The two swords didn't just break—they shattered into dozens of fragments. Gulick's armor, behind the broken swords, tore apart as if ripped by sharp teeth. Only because the projectile's trajectory shifted as the swords broke did Gulick escape with just shattered swords, tattered armor, and blood streaming from his shoulder.
"More than I expected…"
Surviving Gravel's attack, Gulick realized he had no chance of victory. The ability to effortlessly channel mana into a sword and project it required immense skill and experience—far beyond his own ability to infuse mana into daggers or swords.
"Heh heh heh... I'm afraid the odds start turning against me beyond this point."
Gulick pulled a small horn whistle from around his neck and blew it. The piercing sound of the pebble-sized whistle echoed around them. He knew this was his only chance to escape.
-Bweeeeek!
"The boss's rabbit whistle!"
"Rabbit whistle."
"Boss's whistle!"
The sharp sound carried far, reaching Gulick's men who weren't near the duel.