How to Live as a Swordmaster of the Enemy Nation

Upheaval

Thud—!

With a huge, raucous sound, clouds of dust billowed out.

Sensing danger, Ernest struck with his sword, scattering the dust.

No trace of people could be seen in any direction, so Ernest, his eyes unfocused, stared at the ground.

A deep, sunken pit. From its depth, Gregory's voice could be heard.

"As I thought... Something was strange. Are there two trolls?"

Gregory had narrowly avoided the savage club strikes that left the ground deeply pitted.

Monsters—even they possessed intelligence, using all sorts of means to survive. So, if a monster raid that should happen once a month hadn't occurred even after a month had passed—

Usually, they learned and adapted, making such rare cases possible.

By increasing their population, they might weaken temporarily, but once that period passed, the impure mana emitted would only double.

No records existed about how monsters increased their numbers, yet Gregory was convinced.

'Everything makes sense now.'

At the moment his doubts were cleared, he looked coldly down at the deeply dented ground. Then, his sharp gaze turned toward the troll.

His companions, realizing there was a second troll, collected themselves.

"A-a-are there really two trolls?"

"Gregory, are you alright?"

"W-what is happening?"

Gregory calmed his bewildered companions and drew Durandal. He bit and pressed his lips until they bled, barely suppressing the anger that surged within him.

"I'm alright."

His resolute demeanor eased some of their fear. Before he knew it, Ernest had joined Gregory's side, ready to strike back.

Ernest whispered discreetly to Gregory.

"How should we deal with that one, so that people will talk about what a great job we did?"

"If we take it down in a single blow..."

"Can the two of us manage that?"

Gregory quickly glanced around. Their companions—already exhausted from defeating one troll—could no longer be counted on. Only Ernest and Gregory, who still had stamina to spare, could face the troll now.

"Let's get the others out of here first."

He thought the troll might divert its attention and attack them.

Ernest started moving the others. They protested, eager to be of help somehow.

Alessandro whined.

"We can still fight too!"

"Your legs are shaking! Standing back and watching from afar is the best way you can help."

Elisabeth chimed in, supporting Ernest.

"He's right. If you push past your limit, you won't even be able to move your body; you'll just get in the way."

"Ugh... I just wanted to be of help—to be a great swordsman too."

Elisabeth consoled Alessandro with maturity.

"We should just be satisfied that we've already fulfilled our roles perfectly. And, sometimes stepping back is what makes a real swordsman."

"......"

Though Alessandro was disappointed, he had no choice. The only thing they could do was offer support from afar.

His legs giving out, Alessandro left the battlefield supported by Adrian.

After evacuating the others into the brush, Ernest rejoined Gregory.

"Hey, that one's weak spot is the heart."

"The heart? How do you know that?"

Letting his guard down, Gregory inadvertently let slip some information. When Ernest suddenly questioned him, Gregory faltered.

"Huh? I read it in a book when I was young."

It was a clumsy improvised excuse, but Ernest merely looked at Gregory with gentle eyes.

"I see. So, we just need to pierce the heart, right?"

"Yeah."

Ernest gave an awkward, embarrassed smile. And no wonder—he was on higher ground now than when they'd fought the ogre last time, or during the knight order exam where they defeated a troll. Leaping up and joining the attack in one move would be tough.

Dodging the troll's attacks, Gregory and Ernest contemplated their options. Eventually, Gregory allowed a faint smile to cross his lips.

He wanted to come up with a groundbreaking idea, but it wasn't easy. After much time, he finally concluded that their only way forward was to topple the troll.

Thud-thud-thud—!

The troll's clubbing echoed through the whole forest, carried by a wave of sound, and after unleashing such a powerful attack, the troll staggered and wavered on its feet.

"Now!"

On Gregory's signal, he and Ernest struck simultaneously at the troll's legs while it was immobilized.

Ernest struck the right leg, Gregory the left, both pouring out tremendous mana as they slammed down.

Perhaps Gregory had overestimated Ernest; while the troll's left leg was mangled and useless, it still hobbled about on its right leg.

'Damn it!'

Just as they thought they'd failed—

Thud—!

The troll's weight shifted to one side, and at last it came crashing down.

An added bonus—the troll dropped its club as it fell.

Ernest looked at Gregory with eyes dark as graphite, his face full of conviction.

Things had gone differently than expected, but now it was easier: piercing the heart of a troll lying flat would be a simple task.

Gregory leapt in one bound and drove his sword straight down like a meteor falling from the sky. Of course, the sword pierced the troll's heart.

The troll soon breathed its last.

Ernest stared at Gregory as if seeing a ghost. Gregory had grown strong enough to pierce that thick troll hide—something Ernest felt he could never do so easily.

"Y-you're not bad at all, huh?"

Ernest swallowed and said,

"It's not over yet."

Gregory turned his gaze to the other troll. At this, Ernest asked,

"You're not planning to take down that one, too, are you?"

"Why not? Wouldn't it be more impressive if we caught them both?"

Gregory led Ernest by the arm toward the other half-restrained, still-living troll.

Their companions, seeing the scene, were in utter disbelief.

Alessandro looked at the others in alarm.

"H-hey, those two—they're not really going to do what I think, are they?"

Elisabeth responded indifferently, while Brea stared at Gregory and Ernest with wide eyes.

***

A little later, after preventing the monsters from advancing on the village, Walter, Kylas, Leonyx, and Amelia finished their hunt and came to the heart of the Forest of Annihilation.

There, the trolls defeated by Gregory and Ernest lay side by side.

Kylas, seeing the majestic sight, was appalled.

"Am I seeing this right?"

He clearly shared Adrian's reaction. Trolls were supposed to be a struggle to defeat even for a 5-star knight.

To think that 3-star knights and Ernest, a 4-star, could have killed trolls was simply impossible in his mind.

Walter too couldn't believe the situation. He thought the trolls must have fought among themselves and wounded each other. Or rather, he wanted to believe that.

Because otherwise, it made no sense.

Walter said,

"Are you saying you two really took down both these trolls?"

Alessandro interjected,

"We helped take down those trolls, too!"

But Gregory's thoughts were on something more urgent. Worried about Hemingway's sudden summons, he spoke cautiously to Walter.

"Hmm, that's right. Go on then. You must have something more urgent than this."

Alessandro whined again.

"Commander, how about something delicious for dinner tonight?"

"Delicious, huh? I do like a good meal... But Gregory won't be there, will he?"

"Oh, come on! We all did our best too! Let's have a celebration or something."

Walter sighed.

"You know this isn't the time for that. Gregory did the most, and who knows when he'll come back."

Brea looked at Alessandro with exasperation.

"Tsk, stupid. Read the room before you start whining—"

At that moment, Walter interrupted Brea and, his face alight with joy, threw up his arms in celebration.

"Well, why not?! Thanks to Gregory, we're getting more support! If he comes back, we can just treat him to something nice again!"

Walter looked happier than anyone. The wide, childlike smile on his face made him look utterly innocent.

Elisabeth nodded slightly, a faint smile on her lips. Adrian and Alessandro's compliments for Walter didn't subside.

Brea turned away, her face flushing bright red.

And as Walter, brighter than anyone, turned away, his expression suddenly became clouded as he found himself alone. It was the fact that his older brother Hemingway had summoned Gregory by letter that worried him.

Usually, things ended with Walter's intervention, but now, having been summoned to the Radiant Light Order by letter, an ominous feeling crept over him.

And the fact that this time there had been two monster sources felt strange. For Gregory, with his previous life's experience, it was natural, but to Walter, it was a first.

It filled him with guilt that the Dawn Order had been driven to the brink of death this time.

And until the end, he thought of Gregory.

"Gregory, just what kind of person are you? What on earth is going on?"

Hearing his mutterings, Amelia asked,

"Commander, what did you say?"

"Huh? Oh, nothing."

"I don't care! Tonight, it's a meat party! Muscle growth!!"

"Y-yeah. Amelia, you're so likable."

"A compliment from the commander? Thank you!!"

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
Walter is a foodie...
Also, something's happening in the background...
【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】