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Chapter : 61
Draw Your Sword
The outer suppression front—
it was the coastal cliffs on the outskirts of Pophyuta. A monster’s corpse split cleanly in two with a dull thud. The mercenaries tightened their grips on their swords and wiped their cheeks.
Monsters swarmed, carpeting the choke point. The commander of the outer mercenary unit slung a greatsword over his shoulder and muttered bitterly.
“Send an urgent report to the Imperial Capital.”
Monster corpses tangled with the soil. Feet sank deep into the soggy mud.
“Tell them the bastards have started going berserk.”
“Th-this path leads straight down to the harbor.”
“Hold them back. Stake your lives on it and keep the patrol route secure! If this line breaks, everything below will be devastated!”
It looked as though they’d been buried beneath a grave of dead monsters. Their bones formed mounds, their carcasses fouled the earth.
“So that’s it. They stayed quiet all this time, only to decide to drag us all down with them.”
A dead basilisk lay nearby. Monster bodies were half-buried in the mire.
The mercenaries burned them one by one, and a choking stench of scorched flesh hung thick in the air.
“Is that lightning?”
The horizon was black. Though the sun was setting and staining the sky red, the sea was clouded with toxic murk. Thunderheads gathered, lightning crashing down.
The mercenaries standing on the cliff walked toward its edge. One by one, soldiers removed their helmets. Sweat-soaked hair clung to their heads.
—Crack
—Snap
—Krrraak
Lightning struck the horizon. A flash split the sky, and the murky seawater churned.
Then the waters parted, and a sea dragon lifted its neck.
What was that? A dragon? A sea dragon? What kind of thing had no end to its length?
—Screeeee!
As it screamed and slammed its body down, the waters split apart. Stunned lesser monsters floated to the surface. The creature seized them in its jaws and tore them apart alive.
Long whiskers trailed from its snout, and horns jutted from its body.
The mercenaries were struck dumb. This was beyond words.
“Looks like the end of days is coming.”
“I-I’ll send another urgent report.”
“Draw your swords. This may become our grave, but if we die, we die here.”
The sea dragon sank back into the abyss.
“What about the unidentified individual?”
“Identification will be difficult.”
“The body is dead and decomposed. Before death, it was steeped in toxins—the skin had rotted. The clothing is that of a servant. In the end, the flesh blackened as if burned, and before dying, the body was offered as a sacrifice and detonated… It must be one of their clan.”
A junior mercenary stared with horrified eyes at the pile of monster corpses strewn across the path.
Charlophe stepped back, pulling her shoulder away.
A blade stabbed into the ground.
Her grip turned pale, tendons in her wrist stretched taut.
“Raise your arm!”
Charlophe swung her arm, blocking her centerline.
The moment your blade stops, your body opens.
Such a clumsy opening was the same as inviting the enemy in, offering your neck to be cut.
Clang!
The iron-cored wooden sword tore through the air, bursting the pressure around it.
“Watch the tip of the blade! You have to read the sword’s path to decide whether to block or deflect it!”
The wooden sword twisted sideways.
“That’s not blocking—you should be letting it slide past!”
Her shoulder bent back.
The wooden sword struck her blade again and again like it had gone mad.
“Your body is wide open!”
Charlophe stepped back.
“Your wrist is exposed. I’ve told you again and again—when a blade loses its path, you don’t know what it will cut!”
A cloud of dust rose.
Pale dust settled on her shoulders.
Charlophe brushed her hair. Perhaps because of the dust clinging to her, her throat felt itchy. Noticing this, Fedelin lowered his arm.
A servant brought a wet towel and water. She wiped her cheeks and cooled herself with cold water.
“Drinking cold water too quickly isn’t good.”
“You’re harsh during training, but soft at times like this.”
“Your lungs are weak, aren’t they? The imperial physician from the Royal Infirmary rattled off a whole list of precautions. Though this old man forgets most of them, being old and all.”
Fedelin ended the afternoon sparring session.
“…Sir Fedelin! An imperial order—you’re to report to the conference chamber immediately!”
An adjutant from the mercenary corps rushed to find him.
The staff hurried across the Imperial Palace.
Armored figures knocked on the doors of the conference chamber. A map of Pophyuta was spread out. Red flags were planted along the marked cliffs—points where suppression had ended and where further vigilance was required.
“In addition, a sea dragon was sighted at the suppression site. Its confirmed length, as observed by the unit, reached three meters, after which it disappeared into the abyss.”
Benhamin adjusted his crimson uniform. On the side table lay urgent dispatches from the front.
[The creature circled near the warships. Its scales were thick, horns grew along its torso, it was black as ink, and when it raised its neck, lightning struck. After seizing a monster in its jaws, it sank into the abyss.]
Sea dragons were believed to have gone extinct in ancient times. Under the Ancient Covenant, all dragonkind vanished, and sea dragons were among the ancient monsters driven out. Dragons had been extinct for hundreds of millions of years.
“And the unidentified deceased?”
“Judging by the clothing, it appears to be one of the missing Tuture household servants. The family crest was almost erased, but traces remained on the shoulder.”
There was a limit to what written reports could convey.
Benhamin pressed his temples hard. His vision blurred, a dull ache throbbing.
The Black Clan had stepped into the forbidden zone, and monsters had stirred it into chaos.
The power of the Covenant was failing. He had sensed it weakening even in the past.
“Has Sir Dungcan arrived?”
“As expected, a swordsman’s fate is to be sent to the front lines to swing steel. Where should I be deployed?”
“The third outer coastal cliff. The site of an old basilisk nest. Determine whether those who sent the urgent report are alive.”
Fedelin brushed his greatsword.
“I’ll depart immediately.”
He left the conference chamber.
“Have the rest prepare to depart as well.”
Additional suppression units were dispatched to the front.
.
.
“You’re going to the suppression front yourself?”
Charlophe was the one who asked first.
Benhamin replied as he removed his outer coat.
“I haven’t said anything yet.”
“You’ve always been the central pillar of the suppression front.”
“The central axis of the suppression system is Pophyuta—and it would be more accurate to say I built that system.”
His lips were dry and cracked. Dark shadows lay beneath his eyes after meetings that stretched late into the night, yet his expression wasn’t refreshed at all.
It was easy to guess.
Things didn’t go as planned.
His face remained composed.
“Go and come back safely.”
“Leaving you behind still makes me uneasy.”
“You watch me like a child near water. Though, you’ve always said I appear in unexpected ways when I’m out of your sight.”
Benhamin set his coat on the side table and undid the top button of his shirt.
“Will you wait for me?”
“I always have.”
“The outside is dangerous for you. Stay here.”
It felt like leaving a child alone by the water’s edge.
“Don’t go outside. Not beyond the palace.”
“Do you want to lock me in?”
“If I could, I’d bind your steps right here.”
He changed the subject.
“How was your sword training with Fedelin?”
“I’m not sure.”
“You learn swordsmanship quickly, but he says you have bad habits. You learned techniques meant to protect the body, didn’t you?”
“Yes. I did.”
“He said you’re poor at protecting yourself. Do you open yourself up on purpose?”
Ah—she remembered letting her arm open once to strike a vital point.
“I was just a little clumsy.”
“Be clumsy twice and you’ll lose an arm.”
“……”
“If you’re going to aim the blade carelessly, don’t grip the hilt at all.”
Charlophe smiled faintly.
“I’ll be careful.”
Benhamin replied, ruffling his short hair.
“I think I’ll have to leave.”
“You’re going to the suppression front?”
“If it truly is an ancient monster, the entire suppression system must be reorganized.”
Ancient monsters were different from ordinary ones. The sea dragon stood as a kind of leader among monsters. Monsters didn’t have social hierarchies like humans, but the law of the strong devouring the weak was absolute.
“Leaving you alone makes me this uneasy.”
Warhorses left the Imperial Palace. Suppression units were dispatched, followed by imperial intelligence officers. The Emperor draped a crimson cloak over his shoulders and rode among them.
As the unit departed the gates, clouds of dust rose along the palace road.
From atop a palace spire, Charlophe looked down, a shawl wrapped around her shoulders.
“They’ve all left.”
“Yes. They’ve just departed, so they should soon reach the internal suppression front at Pophyuta.”
Katarina stood by her side.
“Please take care of your health. Even as His Majesty departed for the front, he was deeply concerned.”
“…I’m fine now.”
“I say this because I worry.”
“I’ve seen it all from up close—I know you’re concerned for me.”
“You are someone precious, deserving of protection.”
The fur shawl weighed heavily on her shoulders.
“They’re worried that everyone might be hurt. Please understand the hearts of those who want to shelter and protect you, even a little more.”
Charlophe only nodded.
“It’s cold. Let’s go back.”
The palace gates opened in the dead of night.
Mounted soldiers passed through. The guards saluted sharply.
Additional suppression forces were dispatched to Pophyuta, black warhorses pounding the road.
The suppression unit, cloaked in black robes, melted into the darkness.
Armored figures radiated a heavy presence. Dust clouds trailed behind the horses.
Among them rode the Emperor’s mount.
“When things get tangled, even Your Majesty can’t let go.”
Roskella approached, holding the reins.
“We’ve left trustworthy people in the capital. Please have faith.”
“It’s not that I don’t trust them.”
The unit passed along the road leading to Pophyuta. The Imperial Capital lay close, the route well-cleared, allowing them to reach their destination quickly.
An intelligence officer already dispatched to Pophyuta came to meet the Emperor.
“Formalities will be omitted.”
Benhamin tightened his grip on the reins.
“The admiral?”
“The commander has taken the fleet to the perimeter. The outer suppression front is being handled by Sir Fedelin Dungcan and his mercenary corps.”
“The scale?”
“The defensive line collapsed once. After Sir Dungcan joined, damage was minimized, but one small mercenary unit was annihilated.”
It was impossible for a single suppression unit to cover all of Pophyuta. The gaps were filled by mercenary groups hired by the Empire.
At the center of those mercenaries stood Fedelin Dungcan.
“Draw your swords.”
The path opened. The suppression front stretched out before them.
A basilisk had made its nest.
The suppression unit drew their swords in unison.
Its scales were hard, and the hunt for the serpent began.
Benhamin twisted the hilt and swung his blade.
With a single stroke, the creature’s head fell.
“Don’t be sloppy. Aim for the neck, kill them, and secure the area.”
A suffocating silence followed.
