Chapter 220 - Four Swords (1)

Damian stretched out his arms and legs as if lying on his own bed, blankly watching the clouds drift by. Blood was streaming from wounds all over his body, staining the ground red, but he showed no signs of pain.

"Professor, may I ask you a few questions?"

"Go ahead."

"Why did you send the return notice to the students? You could have just let them compete fairly."

"I've grown tired of obedience."

"...?"

The old man looked at Damian, chuckled lightly, and added, "Well, if I must say, it's a matter of temperament. Those who obediently follow orders from superiors can't handle a magic sword. If it were that easy to wield, how easy would it be for the magic sword to devour its host?"

"..."

"In that sense, you're quite the specimen. You don't even listen to that terrifying archmage's orders, do you?"

"That's..."

Damian, who had thought of himself as rather obedient, briefly searched for a rebuttal before giving up and changing the subject.

"By the way, where did the magic sword hunter come from?"

"He was from the North. The magic sword took him as a temporary host and came south looking for a new host."

"The victims' backgrounds, if I'm not mistaken... was it really looking for me?"

"If that's what you felt, then it must be so. I don't know your past. Even though I'm old, seeing how it chose you as its host, even abandoning Gale, I'm now convinced."

"Why didn't it choose Gale?"

"You saw the sword go berserk in his hands, didn't you? Gale has the ability to handle that magic sword's power. He might even handle it better than you. But it wasn't about ability, it was a difference in personality."

"Difference in personality... you say?"

"Yes."

"Do you know how the magic sword knew about me and came looking for me?"

The old man shook his head.

"What's important is that this magic sword came from even further north than the North."

"You mean the Land of Death?"

"Yes. Have you heard of it?"

"...Yes."

Damian recalled his memories. He had first encountered the story of the Land of Death in Zverev's research paper, which created the formula for the Griffin Potion. Black pits that devour the souls of mages.

The continent of death where nightmares unfold.

"It means some unknown existence beyond the Land of Death recognized you. It's certainly not a pleasant thing."

Hearing this, Damian closed his eyes tightly and fell into thought, as if something had occurred to him.

"I hope it was giving me the sword out of goodwill."

"Everything in the Land of Death. All organisms and spirits, earth and air, even a single cloud, without exception, are not friendly to humans."

"Is it okay to give me a sword from there?"

The old man tapped the magic sword at his waist and said, "Why not? This one was also buried in the Land of Death. If you make an effort, you'll be able to use its power effectively. Besides, aren't you already handling an even more vicious sword?"

"..."

"I hear Eternia will soon be dispatching an elite force to the Land of Death. Wait and see, there will be more news."

Just then, a familiar woman's voice suddenly rang out, "Candy!"

Cecil, who they thought had left, was running urgently with her brown hair fluttering. The old man glanced at her and sighed.

"Huh, what a passionate child. Isn't she?"

"..."

As Cecil approached, the old man turned his back, pretending not to see, with his hands behind his back.

Then Cecil ran to the old man and uselessly pounded him with her fists.

"...?"

When the old man turned around with a questioning look, Cecil, startled, went to Damian and hugged his head, saying, "Stop bullying Candy. Eternia's professor will arrive soon, so you're finished now!"

She hugged him so tightly that half of Damian's face was buried and hidden in Cecil's chest.

Damian tapped Cecil's shoulder with his finger and said, "...It's okay now."

"What?"

"The magic sword hunter is dead."

"...Huh?"

Cecil looked back and forth between Damian and the old man and said, "Really...? I thought it was the same person because the attire was identical, but it's a different person."

"I can't see... could you loosen a bit..."

"Ah, okay."

Cecil loosened her hold on Damian's head slightly. Then she looked down at his face and gently tidied his bangs.

"Why did you come back?"

"I was worried about you. Why are you asking such an obvious thing?"

"..."

This was the first time the two had reunited with Candy wearing his mask since things had gone awry at the ball. Because of this, there was a strange awkwardness remaining, different from when they had been together in his original appearance.

"Haa, blood is flowing onto the mask too..."

Cecil took out a handkerchief and wiped the mask. As she did so, she swallowed several times, seeming a bit nervous.

Then, glancing slightly, she said, "I'll... I'll wipe the inside too. Will you stay still?"

"..."

Cecil was as careful and cautious as if handling a newborn baby.

"I'm going to... take off the mask."

She held the mask with one hand and undid the fastening with the other.

Damian didn't resist. Cecil's face was flushed like a child opening a birthday present.

As the mask came off slightly, Damian's hair returned to its original color.

Greeting Damian's face like this, Cecil gently rubbed his forehead, nose, and cheeks with the handkerchief, as if checking whether it was an illusion.

"Candy."

"Yes."

"You were right about hiding your face because you're ugly."

"..."

Cecil looked down at Damian's face with a sorrowful expression.

"You know what? There was someone who suspected all the first-year Combat Department boys, but hoped that this one person wasn't Candy."

"Who was it?"

"It was Damian."

"That guy seemed alright, why?"

"...Because I like people with few friends. I like simplicity. It's even better if I'm their only friend."

Damian blinked weakly, feeling tired.

"Friends, I can count them on one hand."

"When you lie like this, I really want to kill you."

"You have many friends too."

"You must have a lot of time since you don't have friends. We haven't been able to play much... there's an artists' gathering in Rigved in a few days, um, want to go together? I have an invitation and can bring one more person."

"Okay."

"Let's put aside our various friends for that time and just enjoy ourselves."

Damian, tired, accepted without thinking.

"Sure... whatever you want."

"And do you remember that?"

"What?"

"At the ball. We talked about what I needed in return for taking off your mask. I said I'd, I'd, ki..."

Peep!

Suddenly, something interrupted Cecil's words.

Damian's spirit, Ppiyak, had rushed in, flapping its wings hurriedly.

Ppiyak naturally sat on Damian's face and looked up at Cecil blankly.

Cecil was taken aback by the unexpected appearance.

"...?"

Then suddenly, as if teasing, Ppiyak fluffed its wings.

Peep!

"You're cute, but... we have something to talk about, so could you move?"

Cecil cupped Ppiyak in both hands and released it into the air.

Then, looking at Damian, she continued what she was saying, "In return for taking off the mask, I'd ki... Huh?"

"..."

Cecil poked Damian's cheek.

Damian had his eyes closed with a peaceful expression. Cecil lightly pinched his side, but there was no reaction. Damian had fallen asleep.

***

Healers from Eternia treated Victor and Damian and transported them to Eternia.

They thought they had taken care of all the injured, but contrary to expectations, Gale didn't leave and appeared before Callios. Gale gave a Northern-style salute to him and said, "It's an honor to meet you like this, Sword Master Callios, hero of the North."

Callios looked at Gale and said, "Ah, it's a shame about the magic sword."

Despite the situation ending differently from his intentions, he accepted it simply without any particular complaints. It was a manly and extremely economical attitude.

"I'm satisfied with having seen the power of Renatic, one of the four great magic swords."

"You were using a familiar artifact. Is it from someone I know?"

Gale nodded.

"It's Senior Kedwen's."

"So you were the one who was to inherit it. It suits you. Keep working hard. There are still many magic swords looking for the next generation, so there will be plenty of opportunities."

"I'll keep that in mind."

Callios smiled meaningfully and tapped the handle of his own sword.

***

I had no memory after meeting Cecil. I did wake up in between, but all I remember was lying in the carriage with my head on Cecil's lap.

After Cecil put something in my mouth, I fell into a deep sleep again and had no memory.

And when I opened my eyes, it was early dawn.

Without realizing it, I had been laid on a bed in the Thorn Garden dormitory.

Opening my eyes here, I could finally feel that the mission was over.

When I half-raised my body to check my condition, something caught on my hand.

I lifted it to check and found that I was holding hands with someone else. Only then did I discover Trisha sleeping with her head resting on the edge of the bed.

How could I be so glad to see her after being apart for just a few days?

It seemed she had been nursing me all night. I felt grateful but also somewhat sorry.

She had always taken charge of nursing me wholeheartedly whenever I was injured.

I tapped Trisha's shoulder to wake her up.

"Trisha."

"Mmm..."

"Trisha."

"Mmmm."

"The Art Club came in first."

"Mmm. Huh?"

Trisha's eyes flew open.

"Damian, you're awake?"

"Yes."

As soon as she came to her senses, she noticed their intertwined hands and hastily pulled her hand away, startled.

"What! Why did you hold my hand on your own?"

"...?"

"This is ridiculous!"

"How long have we been like this?"

"I didn't do it, I tell you!"

"Not that... never mind. Thanks for taking care of me. I'll make your favorite breakfast."

"No need! I'll eat on my own, just lie down!"

Then she pushed my upper body back down with both arms.

"Well... did anything happen while I was asleep?"

I suddenly thought of Cecil and felt uneasy. I was concerned about how Trisha had been deceiving Cecil all this time.

"Nope! Oh, no!"

"What do you mean?"

"No... your sapling sword was acting a bit strange."

"Sapling sword?"

"Yes. It was doing something with an unfamiliar sword... The creaking sound it made all night was so annoying I thought I'd die! I couldn't even touch it."

"...What?"

"There!"

Trisha pointed to the swords sprawled in front of the door.

"Ah."

And seeing that sight, my heart sank.

The wooden sword that had turned into a sapling was tightly constricting the new magic sword like a boa constrictor.