Chapter 33
On our way back to headquarters after leaving Lahn Bridge, the northern sky was hazy with clouds of dust.
Hundreds, even thousands, of soldiers were on the move, and horses raced across the field.
As we drew closer, we could even hear the clash of metal and the soldiers' shouts.
"It's already started."
Claude-san looked north from atop his horse.
After we brought down Lahn Bridge, we handed the Imperial soldiers who'd surrendered over to the Duke of Scotty's forces, who arrived later.
We were heading back to headquarters almost without stopping to rest.
The battle at the Seil Bridge had already begun.
"Let's hurry."
"Yes!"
I urged my horse to go faster.
Behind me, Felicia tightened her arms around my waist.
We reached headquarters a little while later.
The atmosphere was completely different from yesterday.
Messengers were coming and going without pause, and wounded soldiers were being carried in one after another.
Several soldiers were already lying in front of the medical tent.
"First Squad has returned!"
Claude-san dismounted, and we followed.
"Claude!"
A knight waiting at the entrance to headquarters hurried over.
"His Grace is calling for you. Come at once!"
"Understood."
There was no time to rest.
We headed straight for the command tent.
Inside were the Duke of Scotty, several knights, and his staff officers.
A large map of the battle was spread across the table.
"You're back."
"We've brought down Lahn Bridge."
Claude-san answered.
"That should keep the Imperial army from circling around to the south for a while."
"I've received your report. Well done."
The duke's expression remained grim.
"But we're in a worse situation now."
He tapped the Seil Bridge with his finger.
"The Imperial army's main force has arrived. They're attacking from the west side of the bridge."
"How is the battle going?"
"We're being pushed back."
Just then, a voice rang out from outside the tent.
"Third defensive line, fall back!"
"Get the wounded out of there!"
The duke frowned.
"Numbers aren't the only reason we're losing ground."
"Is there something else?"
I asked.
"Yes. A Sword Saint."
"...A Sword Saint?"
Kyle came to mind.
My younger brother had received the Sword Saint at the age of fifteen.
"There's more than one."
The duke continued.
"There are two."
"Two?"
Felicia exclaimed.
Claude-san's expression changed, too.
"Don't tell me..."
"That's right. The Dran Empire's Twin Sword Saints."
The two Sword Saints were well-known even within the Empire.
We'd heard they were part of the main force.
Was that why they hadn't appeared at the front until now?
"It'll be quicker if you see for yourself."
The duke left the tent.
We followed him.
Headquarters had been set up on slightly higher ground.
From there, we could see the area around the Seil Bridge.
Imperial banners lined the far side of the river, while the Duke of Scotty's army had formed a defensive line on our side.
But that line was gradually being pushed back.
"...We're losing ground."
Felicia murmured.
At the heart of it all was a man.
He held a massive sword in both hands.
Three Kingdom soldiers lined up their shields and blocked his path.
The man charged in.
His greatsword swept sideways.
All three shields shook violently, and the soldiers were sent flying backward together.
Imperial soldiers poured into the gap.
"Close the gap!"
A knight on the Kingdom's side shouted, and other soldiers rushed forward.
But another man was on the opposite side, too.
This one barely made any large movements.
He shifted half a step to dodge a Kingdom soldier's sword, then slipped right inside his guard.
One man fell.
A spear thrust in from the side.
The man didn't parry it with his sword. He slipped inside the spearhead's reach instead.
The second man fell.
A knight attacked from behind.
The man's sword flashed as he turned around.
The third man fell.
Despite the dozens of soldiers around him, men kept falling one after another wherever that man went.
"...So that's him."
The duke spoke in a low voice.
"The Twin Sword Saints everyone talks about."
One of them broke through the defensive line head-on, while the other slipped inside through the gaps.
Their fighting styles were completely different.
And yet neither of them could be stopped.
"Claude."
"Yes, sir."
"Can you stop them?"
Claude-san didn't answer right away.
He watched the two Sword Saints intently.
"If I only have to face one of them."
"One?"
"I can't say I can defeat one. But I might be able to hold one off."
"And both of them?"
"No chance."
His answer was immediate and certain.
"I wouldn't last long against both of them at once."
"I see..."
As we spoke, the Kingdom army's defensive line fell back again.
Imperial soldiers were gradually spreading onto the east side of the bridge.
What would happen if they broke through here?
The Imperial army's main force would enter the Kingdom of Sahar.
There were towns beyond this point.
And villages.
Some people hadn't escaped yet.
I thought of the villagers we'd helped yesterday.
Back then, we'd managed to get them away before the Imperial soldiers caught up with them.
But if the main force broke through here, it wouldn't stop at a single village this time.
"Your Grace."
"What is it?"
"I'll take on the other one."
Everyone turned to look at me.
"Allen-san?"
Felicia looked surprised, too.
The duke looked at me.
"You?"
"Yes."
"You're facing a Sword Saint."
"I know."
I knew how strong a Sword Saint could be.
The day Kyle received the Sword Saint, I couldn't do anything.
But after I became an adventurer, I fought Kyle again.
This time, I was able to block his sword.
Just once, I even managed to strike his shoulder.
And now, I was even stronger than I had been back then.
"I've fought a Sword Saint before."
"What?"
"My younger brother is a Sword Saint."
The duke's eyes widened.
"The Valdis family... I see. You're the brother of that Sword Saint."
"Yes."
"How well did you do against him?"
"I was able to block his sword. I even struck his shoulder once."
Claude-san looked at me.
"When was this?"
"Not long after I became an adventurer."
"Then you're stronger now than you were back then."
"Yes."
The duke looked toward the battlefield.
"Considering what you did at Lahn Bridge, too..."
Then he turned his gaze back to me.
"All right. But retreat if you think you can't handle it. What matters isn't defeating them.
It's stopping those two."
"Understood."
"First Squad."
Claude-san turned around.
"Let's go."
"Yes!"
We set off at a run toward the Seil Bridge.
As we ran, Claude-san called out his orders.
"Bork, take the center. Protect our rear."
"Got it!"
"Raoul, take the right. Stop any soldiers who get through."
"Understood!"
"Lydia, target the groups of Imperial soldiers. Don't get too far ahead."
"Got it."
"Ena, watch our surroundings. Don't focus only on the Sword Saints."
"Okay."
"Cecil, stay in the rear and treat the wounded."
"Leave it to me."
Finally, he looked at Felicia.
"Felicia, support Allen. But don't get between him and the Sword Saint."
"...Understood."
Then he looked at me.
"Allen."
"Yes?"
"Our job isn't to defeat the Sword Saints."
"It's to stop them, right?"
"Exactly."
Just like yesterday.
We had to stop the Imperial army from advancing any farther.
That was our job.
I looked at the two Sword Saints as we ran.
Claude-san and I would each take one of them.
Just then, I remembered something.
"Claude-san!"
"What is it?"
"Let me use my Skill!"
"What?"
"I can share some of my physical abilities with my allies."
"...What do you mean?"
"I'm already using it on Felicia-san."
"It's true!"
Felicia answered.
"Some of Allen-san's abilities are being shared with me!"
Claude-san looked at Felicia.
"So that's how you can move like that now?"
"It's helped me a lot."
"I can use it on you, too, Claude-san."
"Wouldn't that affect you?"
"My abilities would decrease by that much."
"No."
He answered immediately.
"What good would it do for you to get weaker right before fighting a Sword Saint?"
"I'll be fine."
"How will you be fine?"
"I'm sharing ten percent with Felicia-san right now. Adding you would make it twenty percent in total."
"And how does that make it fine?"
I opened Membership.
【Balance: 2,690P】
"I can make up for the loss."
"...You're saying something I don't understand again."
"I'll explain later."
The battlefield was close now.
"I'm using it."
I opened Share.
【Shared Members】
【Felicia Roth】
【Available Slots: 1】
【Share Candidates】
【Claude】
【Register as a Shared Member?】
"Register."
【The target's consent is required】
"Claude-san. Something should appear in front of you."
"What?"
Claude-san's eyes widened.
"...What is this?"
"Please approve it."
"This really is safe, right?"
"Yes."
He glanced at me for just a moment.
"All right."
【Claude has approved registration as a shared member】
【Shared Members: 2】
【Sharing Rate: 10%】
【Transferring 10% of your base stats to Claude】
My body grew heavy.
Felicia and Claude-san.
Sharing my abilities with two people made the difference much more noticeable than before.
"...!"
Beside me, Claude-san nearly stopped in his tracks.
"What's wrong?"
Claude-san clenched his right hand, then opened it again.
He gave the ground a light push with his foot.
His body surged forward more than he'd expected, and he hurriedly stopped himself.
"What is this...?"
"That's Share."
"My body's lighter. And I'm stronger, too..."
Claude-san looked at me.
"Allen."
"Yes?"
"Do you normally fight with a body like this?"
"I have a little more than this."
"...I see."
Surprise still showed on Claude-san's face.
I checked my own body, too.
Sharing with two people had certainly lowered my abilities.
Even so, I was far stronger than when I'd first used Share on Felicia.
I'd fought in the dungeon countless times.
And since coming to the war, I'd fought Imperial soldiers and cavalrymen, too.
With every battle, my own base stats had gradually grown.
But my opponent was a Sword Saint.
I wanted every bit of speed I could get.
I opened Membership.
【Major Agility Boost: 1,000P】
"Twice."
【Purchase Major Agility Boost twice?】
【Required: 2,000P】
【Balance: 2,690P】
"Buy."
【You used 2,000P】
【Balance: 690P】
【Agility +360】
A surge of power rushed through my body.
"...!"
My legs felt lighter.
Come to think of it, I hadn't checked my stats in a while.
I opened Ability Information.
【Name: Allen Valdis】
【Membership Rank: Gold】
【Base Stats】
【Strength: 1,028】
【Endurance: 1,020】
【Agility: 1,565】
【Magic: 198】
"One thousand five hundred sixty-five..."
My Agility had increased substantially.
My Strength and Endurance had also gone up a little since the last time I'd checked.
I'd kept fighting in the dungeon.
And since coming to the war, I'd fought Imperial soldiers again and again.
It wasn't just the boosts I'd bought with P.
My base stats had grown with every battle.
I checked Share as well.
【Shared Members: 2】
【Felicia Roth】
【Claude】
【Sharing Rate: 10%】
【Shared Stats】
【Strength: 102】
【Endurance: 102】
【Agility: 156】
【Magic: 19】
Each of them was receiving these stats.
And while sharing, my own stats were:
【Strength: 824】
【Endurance: 816】
【Agility: 1,253】
【Magic: 160】
"...This should do it."
I was sharing my abilities with two people.
Even so, my Agility was still over 1,200.
I was much stronger now than when I fought Kyle again.
"Ah!"
Felicia exclaimed.
"Allen-san, you boosted yourself again, didn't you?"
"I increased my Agility."
"I knew it!"
Claude-san seemed to have noticed the change in his body, too.
"...This time, it's speed."
"Yes. It's affecting both of you as well."
Claude-san opened and closed his hand.
"That really is an incredible Skill."
Then he looked toward the battlefield.
"But I'm glad to have it now."
The front line was just ahead.
Wounded Kingdom soldiers were retreating toward us.
"It's the Sword Saints!"
One of them shouted.
"Don't go near them! They're no ordinary opponents!"
The two men were beyond them.
The Sword Saint with the greatsword sent the shield-bearers flying.
The other deflected a knight's sword, then slipped inside his guard.
The knight fell.
"Fall back!"
The Kingdom's squad leader shouted.
"Reform the formation!"
But the two men didn't give them time to regroup.
The Sword Saint with the greatsword broke through the defensive line, and Imperial soldiers poured into the opening.
The other Sword Saint joined the front of their advance, widening the breach even further.
"First Squad!"
Claude-san shouted.
"From here on, follow the plan!"
"Got it!"
Bork-san raised his greatshield.
Raoul-san took his spear and moved to the right.
Lydia-san and Felicia raised their staves in the rear.
Ena-san kept an eye on the entire battlefield.
Cecil-san moved to the very back.
Claude-san drew his sword.
"Allen."
"Yes."
He looked at the two Sword Saints.
"I'll take the one on the right."
"Yes."
"You take the one on the left."
"Understood."
"Don't force yourself to defeat him."
"I just need to stop him, right?"
"Exactly."
Claude-san moved forward.
"Let's go!"
"Yes!"
We slipped between the Kingdom soldiers.
"Who are they?!"
"Adventurers?!"
"Make way!"
The soldiers moved aside, opening up our view.
The Sword Saint I was heading toward noticed us, too.
He was a man around thirty years old.
He held a long one-handed sword.
The man frowned as he looked at me.
"What?"
The Imperial soldiers around him looked our way, too.
The man's mouth twisted into a slight grin.
"They've sent a child out, too?"
He raised his sword.
In that instant, the atmosphere changed.
"...!"
Fast.
I knew that already.
A Sword Saint, just like Kyle.
He was nothing like an ordinary soldier.
The man kicked off the ground.
The distance between us disappeared in an instant.
His sword came down from the upper right.
I drew the Flamefang Sword.
Clang!
A powerful shock ran through my arms.
But I stopped it.
"...What?"
The man's eyes widened.
The Flamefang Sword and his blade locked together.
It was different from the day Kyle received the Sword Saint.
Back then, I couldn't even see his sword.
No matter how many times I got back up, he knocked me down without giving me a chance.
Now I could see it.
I could block it.
I put strength into my legs.
I pushed the Flamefang Sword back.
The man's arm shifted slightly.
"You..."
I readied the Flamefang Sword again.
The smile had disappeared from the man's face.
Behind me, Claude-san was already facing the other Sword Saint.
The battle between First Squad and the Imperial soldiers had begun around them, too.
If we let them through, the Imperial army's main force would enter the Kingdom of Sahar.
It wouldn't end with protecting one village like yesterday.
Many more people would be caught up in it.
Then I'd stop them here!
"You're not getting past me!"
The Sword Saint stared at me.
He wasn't looking at me like a child anymore.
He was looking at me as an enemy.
【Name: Claude】
【Strength: 340 + 102】
【Endurance: 355 + 102】
【Agility: 360 + 156】
【Magic: 80 + 19】
Total P Acquired = 27,500P