TMLLT 118

Chapter 118

“Acknowledgment”

The battle dragged on.

That was not a good sign.

The second Hirs was much stronger than the first, and more and more monsters were gathering.

My eyes turned toward Roitz.

Everyone in this forest was important, but none were as crucial as him.

Only when the Hirs’ sight was blocked could anyone land a strike, and we had no choice but to depend on Roitz’s mist aura.

“Now!”

Mist covered the Hirs’ eyes.

At Terian’s shout, the knights drove in their swords.

More than half the tentacles had been disabled, but with so many of our knights injured, numbers were dropping fast. Even that wasn’t enough.

Once again, Roitz’s mist blinded the beast.

But I noticed his body swaying ever so slightly as he gripped his sword.

Aura was like stamina. Rest restored it, but the more you used it, the closer you came to the limit.

‘If it were anyone else, they would’ve collapsed already. Only Roitz can endure this long… but how much longer?’

He wasn’t even moving from his spot, just pouring everything into his aura. That alone proved how close he was to breaking down.

Maybe after the Hirs fell, he would collapse immediately.

But at this rate…

I glanced around. Everyone else was busy fighting monsters. No one was there to guard Roitz.

Then one of the smaller beasts leapt at me.

I pierced it cleanly, yanking my sword back out.

But even as I fought, my eyes never left Roitz.

Something felt wrong.

‘This isn’t good.’

Dust clouded the forest floor as I stepped toward him.

A bad feeling grew in my chest.

‘I have to cover Roitz…’

But why do people always act too late?

Why do I always act too late?

The moment I began running toward him—

The Hirs seemed to realize who was the greatest threat.

“…!”

Three of its tentacles all lashed at Roitz at once.

‘Just a few more steps!’

I was almost there. Almost—

But the tentacles from its head were far faster than the others.

One was deflected by his sword. Another snapped in his grip.

But the last one struck too fast.

And it didn’t wait for him to raise his hand again.

I was nearly there—

But “nearly” wasn’t enough.

With a sickening sound, the tentacle pierced through Roitz’s abdomen.

“Senior!”

Without thinking, I called him by the old title I once used. There was no time to dwell on it.

Pain like lightning ripped through me, as if something had seized and shaken every vein in my body.

And another tentacle came for Roitz.

Clang!

This time, it was my sword that cut it down.

My chest burned with a fury so fierce it shocked me.

I stood before him, blocking the way. Then, without stopping, I charged straight at the Hirs.

I didn’t even realize I was running.

All I knew was the beast filled my sight, my sword flashing sharp beneath the moonlight.

And then—an unfamiliar feeling welled up inside me.

No, not unfamiliar. Somehow… familiar.

‘This is…’

I knew instantly.

I knew what I could do the moment I brought my sword down.

I slashed. The blade sank deep into the Hirs’ massive leg.

Golden light erupted, wrapping around the sword like flames.

The glow spread into the beast’s limb.

It screamed, trying to wrench its leg free.

I clenched my jaw, shoving the sword deeper, tasting iron on my tongue.

The golden aura spread from its leg, to its body, until the giant Hirs was engulfed.

The dark forest blazed bright gold.

And then, from the leg upward, it began to vanish.

“What is that?”

“Isn’t that the Vivi family’s Flame Aura, burning the monster away?”

Voices carried over the clash of steel.

But this wasn’t flame.

‘This isn’t Fire Aura.’

The Hirs wasn’t burning into ash.

It was dissolving, fading as if it had never existed.

‘A Sword Aura of Erasure.’

An aura that decayed and erased whatever the blade touched.

It wasn’t the Flame Aura of House Vivi.

It was something entirely new.

Yet somehow, I instinctively knew how to wield it.

My cold eyes fixed on the next enemy. The very air around me felt heavy.

One by one, monsters dissolved before me. My body kept moving without rest, each strike erasing another.

There was no thought in my head. Only the fury from seeing Roitz wounded, flowing straight into my blade.

And then—

It was over.

All the monsters were gone.

Silence filled the ruined battlefield.

I dropped to my knees at last, propping myself on the sword, gasping for breath.

“Serdin!”

Roitz’s voice reached me as he ran from afar.

And then the world went black.

‘Good… he can still move. That’s all that matters.’

Even as I fell, that thought crossed my mind.

When I opened my eyes again, I wondered if it had all been a dream.

A new sword aura? That seemed too unreal.

But then I saw the dark brown blanket covering me. It wasn’t from the knights’ quarters.

The brick walls, the fireplace across the room—everything was unfamiliar.

Not a dream.

Outside the window, the night sky framed rows of cassia trees. The same forest where the battle had raged.

‘Still in Centia village.’

I pushed myself up. My body throbbed. My left arm ached heavily when I tried to move it.

“…Ugh.”

It must have been injured in the fight.

The room looked like an inn.

Too warm.

Beside the bed were fresh clothes.

I changed, then stepped out. My room was at the far end of the second floor.

I washed lightly in the bathroom and returned.

My reflection in the window showed long, wet, pink hair dripping with water.

I opened the window to let the breeze in.

Cool wind stirred the leaves.

I breathed it in.

And then I saw him.

Roitz sat outside on a rock, arms crossed, lost in thought.

‘At least he looks well enough to sit outside.’

When he had been pierced, I had gone mad. The instant he was hurt, everything else vanished from my mind.

He stayed there a long time, and I found myself staring at him, losing track of time.

Footsteps crunched the gravel path.

Enia appeared, waving to him.

It was a large inn—our whole order must have taken lodging here after the battle. No wonder; no one could return to the capital after such a fight.

The two spoke briefly before Enia tapped his shoulder and left. Roitz stood as well, heading back.

I rose too. Opened my door.

One set of footsteps stopped on the first floor. Another started up the stairs.

‘Who is it?’

Enia? Or Roitz?

The creaking steps drew closer.

I couldn’t see around the corner where my room was.

The footsteps halted nearby. A doorknob turned.

“…Senior.”

I couldn’t hold it in and called out.

It could have been either of them.

And I told myself it didn’t matter who.

But then—

“Serdin.”

Roitz appeared, turning the corner.

The moment I saw him—

‘It wasn’t true. It couldn’t be anyone else.’

Our eyes met, and I had to admit it.

I liked Roitz far more than I had ever allowed myself to believe.

“Are you alright?”

He strode over and touched my forehead with the back of his hand.

“Your fever’s down. Earlier, you were burning up… Serdin?”

I stared at him closely.

Even if someone else had shown up… I would have ended up going to his room anyway.

To find him.