I Tried To Be Her Loyal Sword

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254th Chapter

rustle—

At the faint sound, my drifting consciousness abruptly surfaced.

‘An assassin?’

I woke up hastily, trying to sort out my groggy mind as I quietly grabbed the hilt of the sword I had hidden under the blankets.

And when the presence approached my bed, I sprang my eyes wide open and drew the sword, aiming it at the intruder.

“Oh.”

“……This is quite a refreshing morning greeting, something I’ve never experienced before in my life. Did you learn this at the northern military base?”

Did I let out a foolish exclamation? The intruder, despite having a sword pointed at his neck, showed no signs of fear, except for his slightly narrowed eyes. He simply placed the mountain of documents he was holding onto the nightstand beside my bed.

“I am Lieutenant Jonathan Ameri. I will forgo the boring morning greetings, as it doesn’t seem to be a good morning for either of us. We have a lot to report.”

Looking more exhausted than ever, Jonathan stood next to me, delivering words that sounded almost like a joke.

Given the ominous atmosphere, it seemed more than just a joke.

“How cold. Can’t we greet each other at least? Good morning.”

Feeling awkward, I sheathed my sword and mumbled anything.

For a moment, he stared at me with his dark eyes, devoid of light—an unsettling chill ran down my spine—and he let out a short sigh.

“How is your body?”

“I’m fine. I seem to have slept a lot; what time is it now?”

I rubbed my eyes, carelessly fixing my long hair that had spread all around. He took out a pocket watch and checked it.

“It’s 1 PM. You looked so tired that I didn’t want to wake you.”

Typically, I instinctively woke up before the sun rose, so it seemed I had truly been exhausted to sleep in this late.

I let out a groan and leaned back against the bed’s headboard.

“……You’ve had a tough time since yesterday. Is the prince alright?”

“He’s still asleep, but his condition is fine.”

‘Sigh… what would have happened if I wasn’t here? What happens? The home falls apart, society collapses, the nation crumbles, and the continent breaks apart…

‘Can I not just forgo the treatment? I’d rather die.’

I recalled Serenon, who had wished he could die at the thought of receiving treatment and looked dramatic as if he had saved someone on the verge of death.

I confirmed that he had received treatment for his arrow-injured leg, so if there were no problems, he should awaken smoothly by today.

“Please give the morning report.”

Eagerly rising from bed, I put on my uniform jacket.

Another day was beginning.

“The artifacts didn’t activate at all. I was a little anxious about that, but we shouldn’t ignore our instincts.”

Another meeting had started again. Yunis pressed his temples as if blaming himself. I shook my head.

“There probably weren’t any mages who wanted to be chosen anyway. They would have just been a burden during the forest search. Isn’t it good that we both returned safely?”

After thinking for a moment, I tilted my head.

“But did you know in advance that our plan would fail? How were you at the riverbank?”

I had been wondering about this since yesterday but didn’t have the mental capacity to ask. Yunis flashed a slight smile.

“I thought it was strange that we arrived later than intended. A knight from the reinforcements ran and reported it. Apparently, he had been keeping an eye on the river.”

I turned my head in the direction his gaze was fixed.

“It was only acting naturally.”

There stood Kasia, with a stoic expression.

“Oh dear, you just stood there like a dog waiting for its master, staring across the river, asking once a minute when they would come.”

Julian, resting his chin on his hand, chuckled. Kasia’s face turned red at his words, and her eyes narrowed dangerously.

“Wasn’t it the Vice-Commander who always answered that question? You were waiting together, and yet you act like this? You were swaying so much with your legs that I thought you were standing on trembling ground all by yourself.”

“Ha! I didn’t want to wait! But it was by the Pope’s order! I had no choice! I was just doing my duty as a hand warmer! Have you ever met the Pope? Do you have any idea how bad it gets if you don’t follow orders?”

“How could a mere common knight meet the Pope? Are you joking right now?”

Kasia and Julian started bickering in hushed tones. They seemed to think they weren’t being overheard, but the meeting hall was quiet, so their chatter echoed throughout.

‘Looks like Julian and Kasia don’t get along too well.’

I had thought it was just with Serenon, but now it seemed he had a habit of bringing disaster upon himself by saying unnecessary things.

I gazed at the two with a detached expression, then turned back to the main topic.

“I have confirmed the monsters that the northern army brought.”

The previously light atmosphere in the meeting room darkened again as Jonathan’s face stiffened.

“I’ve studied the monsters well enough. What kind are they? Are there many?”

“There are few. Just two.”

The fact that they were of dragon and tiger classification was problematic.

Seeing hope glimmer in Yunis’s eyes, I hastily added before he could get his hopes up too much.

“The monsters brought from the north are a Basilisk and a Thunderbird.”

At my words, a massive wave of shock swept through the room.

“Those are calamities, aren’t they?”

Yunis’s eyes widened in surprise. I let out a short sigh.

“Yes. I’ve faced the Basilisk twice and know its weaknesses and tendencies, but… I’ve never encountered a Thunderbird.”

This was the biggest problem.

As if proving God’s fairness, all great calamities had their weaknesses. ‘Harabana, the quiet tyrant in the deep forest,’ had an oral vulnerability, while the ‘Snake King,’ the Basilisk, was weak in endurance.

Then what about the ‘Lord of Storms,’ the Thunderbird?

“Is there no method to defeat the Thunderbird?”

When Yunis asked, his expression serious, I recalled the past.

‘Master, you are amazing. How on earth did you survive against such a monster?’

‘I’m not that remarkable. I barely escaped by a series of coincidences.’

I slowly turned my gaze around the room.

“There is a way.”

My gaze landed on a specific spot.

‘The Thunderbird’s weakness is…’

Even after her death, she was still helping me.

It had been a week since the incident that involved breaking through the northern army’s stronghold.

During that time, we had been facing the northern forces across the river, the atmosphere increasingly tense as if before a storm.

“Is your leg fully healed?”

“I limp a little if I run too fast, but this is manageable.”

Serenon spun in circles proudly, showing off his leg with a grin.

Thanks to Julian’s daily divine healing—after coaxing and convincing him to continue treating Serenon rather than just fixing him once—he had recovered quickly. Serenon insisted that it was because he healed naturally faster than normal.

“Still, it’s quiet these days.”

Serenon gazed across the river thoughtfully.

The sun was setting slowly.

Since that day, I had started breaking the ice that formed on the river every morning, and for some reason, all the soldiers came out to watch, which had become rather burdensome. Now, only gentle ripples appeared on the surface of the water, tinged with red.

“That’s why I’m more anxious. What are they plotting?”

Kasia, who had been training in swordsmanship while sweating, joined the conversation naturally. I calmed my gaze sharply.

“They might be waiting for us to lower our guard. We mustn’t let our guard down. How is the training of the soldiers going?”

Serenon and Kasia were leading the soldiers’ drills according to the meticulously crafted training plan, which gathered all their habits, methods, and weaknesses regarding the two calamities.

I didn’t have time to act as a trainer myself, so I entrusted that to them, and they were performing better than expected.

“Time is tight, so we’re working on their instincts, but they can’t keep up.”

“Sir Kasia is too fast, we call that a runaway locomotive rather than instincts.”

Despite the frequent squabbles over training opinions between the two, the four of them—Julian, Kasia, and Serenon—had formed a strong bond, despite not being particularly close initially.

“Let’s stop for now and head in. Training too hard isn’t good.”

“It’s not what the Commander, who trains for nine hours a day, should say.”

“……I’m a Sword Master, you know?”

“Ha, being a Sword Master gives you power… how embarrassing. You really have a way of making it tough to respond.”

As we exchanged light banter, the three of us made our way towards the barracks.

“Commander!”

A soldier rushed up from behind with an urgent voice. He was a lookout by the river. My face hardened instantly.

“What’s going on?”

When I urged him, panting heavily, he continued.

“The northern army has begun to move!”

I looked up at the sky.

The once vibrant sunset had faded into twilight, cooling the air around us as darkness began to settle.

The night for them was approaching.

“……Inform Commander Yunis immediately and summon the entire army!”

“Y-yes!”

The panicking soldier dashed towards the barracks. Exchanging glances for a moment, the three of us began to run towards the river as if drawn by a string.

Thud.

Upon arriving, I looked down at the surface of the river with a solemn expression.

Crack crack.

The river that I had just broken through that morning was gradually freezing over.

‘It should have only been close to thin ice… to have the audacity to freeze it completely shows they’re serious.’

To freeze the entire river, it would take a great mage, but it seemed they were intent on deciding the outcome today, no matter what.

As our soldiers were quickly gathered and Yunis came rushing to stand beside me, I slowly unsheathed my sword.

“All troops, prepare for deployment.”