I Tried To Be Her Loyal Sword

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“Where are we?”

For a moment, I held my injured shoulder and glanced around as Serenon scanned our surroundings. It seemed certain we were in a forest on the other side of the river, but since it was my first time here, I struggled to pinpoint our location.

“Who knows? I think we need to move first.”

There wasn’t a monster in sight.

I leaned back, closed my eyes, and took a whiff of the air, letting out a chuckle.

‘It feels like I’ve become a detection dog.’

Nothing was as reliable as my nose, honed from a lifetime of smelling monster stench.

The smell of grass, dew in the night, the chill of the air.

I cleared my senses, disregarding the scents of people distant in the background, when I suddenly opened my eyes to a familiar foul odor creeping in.

“To the right. Let’s go.”

Before dawn broke, we had to finish what we set out to do while we could still hide in the darkness. We began to move quickly.

‘Damn it, if it weren’t for the forest, we could have found it way faster.’

I sighed and looked around. The tall trees and darkness had the advantage of concealing us but also blocked our sight.

“……Master.”

“Just a moment.”

“Isn’t there a presence ahead, someone nearby?”

Serenon whispered, holding his breath. Engrossed in my sense of smell, I finally picked up on an approaching presence.

“Is it a trace of teleportation…? Did they not regain their senses after seeing the scout we sent before get killed? Is the enemy close?”

“Doesn’t seem that far off.”

A faint voice reached us from a distance. Serenon and I exchanged glances simultaneously.

He had a serious look on his face. I could easily guess I wasn’t wearing a relaxed expression either.

The source of the voice was undoubtedly Hilda.

“……We’re in big trouble, aren’t we?”

“Seemingly so.”

“Should we run?”

“Yes.”

As a few defeated words flew between us, Serenon and I leaped into the trees to silence our footsteps and started running.

‘It should be something to be thankful for, but… it’s a bit annoying.’

There was a reason we trained people to their limits; it was only crowned by the emergency that brought my annoying sense of smell back into action.

I had barely survived through some dramatic developments at the most critical moments.

We chased after the stench of rotten debris like Hansel and Gretel returning home, following the glimmering rocks under the moonlight. As the signs of the monster grew closer, the presence around us intensified.

“……Kill the Master.”

A voice floated like a mirage. Serenon and I reduced our speed and suppressed our presence.

The voice repeated in the same tone and form over and over. It was almost like a spell or brainwashing. Serenon seemed to feel it too, grimacing.

“What are they doing?”

I sighed deeply and leaped over the trees. I had a vague guess about it.

When we got closer and spotted a distant bonfire rising up.

“Kill the Sword Master first.”

The voice that sounded like the wind stabbed right into my ear.

“……Did you hear that?”

As we got a bit closer, Serenon, startled, turned to look at me. I gave a grim smile.

“It seems I’m quite loved.”

The Basilisk I faced during the Hunting Tournament.

Even though it should have glanced back at me at least once, this massive and fierce serpent was acting like a crazed dog brainwashed into chasing only Leon.

‘What if it really is brainwashed?’

It must have been ordered to kill the Sword Expert. Monsters can’t recognize people but can sense aura.

‘It’s likely that before the Basilisk appeared in front of me and Reiner, Harabana mistook Reiner for another Sword Expert.’

This was the conclusion I arrived at after giving the fragment of the Basilisk’s heart to Aria and Kal, asking them to study it. The North could not only manipulate monsters but might also plant targets into their minds.

There had been a mix-up between Reiner and Leon during the Hunting Tournament, but this time, I wouldn’t make that mistake.

“Kill the Sword Master first.”

Only I would be left standing on the frozen lake of Pavlov.

Thud.

“Ah…”

“Be careful!”

While I was lost in thought, Serenon, who was chasing after me, stumbled as he leaped over a tree. He had stepped on a branch that snapped under his weight.

Fortunately, he didn’t fall, but as he froze in surprise, I reached out to catch him.

“Why are the trees… so wilted? Could it be…?”

Serenon murmured, glancing around with a troubled expression.

Sure enough, the closer we got to the presence, the more the trees seemed abnormally dry, as if they had suffered from a drought.

‘There are scorched marks on the grass, and the rocks are shattered…’

I sighed, examining the desolation around us.

We were getting closer to the monster I’d hoped it wouldn’t be, based on the dying gasps of the scout.

When we reached the blazing flames, I tightened my fist, signaling for Serenon to stop. He landed softly on the thick branch I stood on.

The withered limb looked precarious, but it showed no signs of breaking.

Crackle.

From afar, it looked like a small campfire, but up close, it turned out to be a massive flame you would see in a ritual dedicated to voodoo.

In front of it stood someone cloaked in robes, murmuring the same words repeatedly. It seemed to be a shaman of some sort. A gigantic presence loomed over them.

“……I really hoped it wouldn’t come to this. I still have nightmares about that day.”

Serenon whispered as if choking. His eyes were fixed on the colossal entity before the shaman. It was another monster I knew well.

“I hoped so too.”

I glared at the target with intent as if I could ignite something with my gaze.

Sshh.

It had smooth scales and a long, black tongue flickering out. Its vertically slit, lifeless pupils, characteristic of reptiles, were chilling.

It was the Basilisk, one of the five calamities often referred to as the ‘King of Serpents.’

“These bastards have completely lost it.”

I stared into the darkness before us, utterly lost.

The monster before us was not just a single Basilisk.

Its form appeared as a large eagle, and its wings looked like they could unleash lightning—an immensely powerful creature said to control thunder and weather, known as the ‘Thunderbird.’

Recorded as a legendary bird living in forests inaccessible to ordinary people, its numbers were minimal, and it was still a mystery whether it actually existed.

The Thunderbird is independent by nature and nearly impossible for humans to tame; however, it isn’t particularly dangerous unless it attacks first. More so, it has a divine ability to purify evil beings.

But if the Thunderbird’s corpse were to be possessed by magic, the worst kind of monster would be born.

Kieeeek!

“Ugh.”

Serenon gasped urgently.

The long cry transcended normal noise, sending shockwaves to the brain. It felt as if someone was squeezing my brain and wildly stirring it.

‘Damn it. This is a monster I’ve never faced before.’

I bit my lip.

The odds of encountering a Thunderbird were already low, but with the added element of demonic possession, it was so rare I hadn’t even seen it once in over a decade of fighting monsters.

‘They are… truly terrifying. If you meet them, forget about surviving. I barely crawled out by sheer luck. Being rare must be a divine arrangement.’

I recalled the story I’d heard from Karasho while observing the overwhelming pressure that loomed over us.

With a beak long enough to swallow a person whole and a mouth full of sharp and scary teeth. Fluffy, purplish feathers shimmering with malevolent magic and massive wings capable of conjuring storms.

Kyaaaak!

With a scream that shook the heavens, the huge bird flapped its wings, altering the weather.

One of the five calamities—the ‘Lord of Tempests,’ the Pacheonschwe.

‘Crazy bastards. You brought out two calamities?’

I buried my head in my hands. I was confident in facing one calamity; I had done it several times.

But two? That filled me with uncertainty. I hadn’t even had exposure to the Pacheonschwe.

“Master.”

As I fell deep into my intense thoughts, Serenon turned towards me. His pale eyes, reflecting the moonlight, gave off a strange chill.

“Shall we kill that shaman now?”

His expression was devoid of any change, as he spoke of death.

That moment struck me with realization. Serenon must have become accustomed to death, having survived in the court’s backstabbing environment all his life.

Even though he was kind and gentle, like Diego, who could sacrifice anything for the Empire, he was of the kind born to rule.

“No matter how docile they seem, they’re born to dominate.”

“……This isn’t part of the plan. They will catch on to us being here.”

I tried to hide my unease. I couldn’t just express I didn’t want to risk murder at this point. I needed to sound rational, offering logical reasons.

“We need flexibility. We can kill him silently. We’ve come this far; we should achieve more, shouldn’t we?”

Serenon quietly drew out a dagger, gleaming as it was slipped ominously into his garments. If aimed solely at the shaman’s neck, they wouldn’t even let out a whimper before dying instantly.

The gleaming blade reflected in my eyes, trembling dimly.

“You don’t want to kill anyone.”

His whisper startled me. I thought I was hiding that pretty well, but perhaps it was a delusion.

He smiled nonchalantly.

“I’ll do it. You can keep your eyes closed.”

I wondered how many corpses he had to witness before he could so easily say that. Instead of the chill or awkwardness, doubts and concerns surged through me.

I shook my head, biting the flesh inside my mouth as I gently snatched his dagger away.

“No. I’ll do it.”

To delegate murder to someone else just because I didn’t want to dirty my hands was neither a master nor a good leader; it was pure cowardice and hypocrisy.

I couldn’t keep running away forever.

“……You don’t have to push yourself.”

“I need to do this.”

I infused mana into the dagger. If I had to get accustomed to this, the sooner, the better.

I took a deep breath and aligned the dagger tip with the shaman’s throat.

I recognized the sword’s power, which could tear through not only the thick skin of a monster but also the warm flesh of a human.

I tightened my trembling grip until my hand felt like it might shatter. The storm swirling around me made my insides churn.

‘I can do it.’

I wanted to run away.

But I couldn’t afford to flee.

As I gritted my teeth and forced my shoulder back.

Crack!

The withered branch I was precariously balancing on snapped loudly.

Ssshh!

The dagger had already left my hand, cutting through the air.

Whoosh!

“Ahhh!”

Startled by the sudden drop, the shaman, whose aim was thrown off, let out a scream as the dagger struck his shoulder. His eyes bulged with rage as he glared at us as if he wanted to kill us.

“Intruders!”

With his thunderous cry, the forest descended into chaos.