Episode 203
The Sword Trial, a stage to determine the greatest sword on the continent.
It wasn’t particularly difficult for swordsmen to measure each other’s skills. The stronger one would prevail when blades clashed.
However, identifying the top seven swords among the dozens gathered here and ranking them in order was no easy task.
For instance, if the first round of a knockout tournament pitted the Deadly Sword against the Ghost Sword, one of the continent’s Seven Swords would be eliminated right from the start.
A round-robin format, on the other hand, would turn into a battle of endurance, losing the essence of pure swordsmanship.
Thus, in the Sword Trial, victory or defeat doesn’t necessarily determine elimination. Even a winner among the less skilled might be dropped, while a loser among the strong could advance.
It’s a process of elimination, so to speak.
At this level, avatars can’t be used. However, there are no particular restrictions on other abilities, and swords are no exception.
And as the first to face this elimination, Dale adjusted his grip on his sword.
A knight unknown to Dale stood there. Yet, the emblem on his armor suggested he was a swordsman from a notable noble family.
That was all.
With a swift motion, Dale launched himself forward, his sword slicing through the air. The aura exploding from within him overwhelmed his opponent’s blade. Clang! The swords clashed, and before anyone could blink, Dale’s sword spun and drove vertically into the ground.
One strike.
“H-how…?”
The knight’s sword was embedded in the ground, and he muttered in disbelief.
“Isn’t the prince of the Saxon family supposed to be a mage?”
He muttered, then shouted in disbelief.
“He must have accelerated his mana circle! For someone who uses magic, not aura, to participate in the Sword Trial…!”
It was at that moment.
Thud!
A shadow leaped, and a sword pierced through, tearing through the protesting knight’s chest and protruding from his back.
”…!”
The breastplate bore the emblem of the imperial family, the twin-headed dragon, and the rank insignia. With a flourish of his golden surcoat, the First Prince Lancelot withdrew his sword.
Thud!
Blood splattered over the wound, staining the prince’s golden surcoat and steel armor with crimson.
“Pathetic and trivial.”
”…!”
“And above all, boring.”
Spinning his sword hilt, the First Prince Lancelot spoke.
“Is it worth waiting and watching these insects fight?”
Lancelot turned his head, looking at Dale, who held his sword.
Through the blood-soaked steel helmet, his eyes glinted coldly for a moment. They were like those of a reptile, slit vertically like a snake’s.
“I agree, brother.”
The Seventh Prince Mordred broke the silence. Behind the two princes, the Ghost Sword Sephilia bowed her head silently. An icy silence descended.
The imperial faction, with the two princes and the Ghost Sword.
The Lancaster faction, with the Heavenly Sword and Charlotte.
The Saxon faction, with Dale and his three swords: the Light Sword, the Deadly Sword, and the Wandering Sword.
With the addition of the vacant “Holy Sword,” the swords of the four major factions watched each other warily.
In truth, the positions of six of the continent’s Seven Swords were practically decided.
But one position remained unclaimed.
Since the day the otherworldly hero defeated him and Vardel Orhart fell, the title of the strongest sword had been vacant.
The Divine Sword.
There was no doubt that the Heavenly Sword Duke Lancaster and the First Prince Lancelot were vying for that position. And the “Black Prince” was no exception.
As the four factions openly engaged in a war of nerves, the remaining knights began to grasp the weight of this position and started to tremble. They were by no means ordinary, yet they couldn’t compare to the monsters gathered here.
Even Charlotte Orhart, who felt the wall of talent before Dale every day, was one of those monsters.
“Prince Lancelot is right.”
So she quietly smiled after the silence.
“I, too, am not thrilled to watch the trivial fights of dozens of nobodies.”
“Indeed.”
And before Dale could finish his words, Lancelot charged forward.
Clang!
The swords clashed. It was Lancelot’s sword, but not Dale’s.
“Please restrain yourself, Your Highness.”
The Great Sword of Sir Helmut Blackbear blocked him. The massive sword, Madness, was easily two meters long.
“How dare a mad dog of Saxon raise a sword before the prince…!”
At the same time, the Ghost Sword Sephilia drew her sword, Soulbringer, and it was the Deadly Sword Master Baro who blocked her.
Clang!
“Haha, this lady’s temper is something else.”
“Baro, you…!”
A silent battle of nerves had already begun between the strong of the imperial and Saxon factions, while the Heavenly Sword and the Holy Sword remained silent.
In terms of sheer numbers, the Saxon faction was the strongest. Moreover, Dale had Charlotte and the “Holy Sword” at his disposal, with a network of blue threads to move them. In crude terms, there was nothing to fear.
“Rather than dying a pointless death, I offer you the chance to withdraw now.”
Thus, the “Black Prince” spoke. To the swords seeking to prove themselves in this hall of swords.
“It would be wise for you all to know your place and step back.”
“Haha! This guy’s words are a masterpiece, a masterpiece.”
At Dale’s words, the Seventh Prince Mordred burst into laughter. He had once fought alongside the “Black Prince” in the northern demon realm’s holy war, only to flee alone after his entire unit was annihilated by the Undying Lord.
“Ah, Prince Mordred. It seems you’ve overcome the defeat and nightmares of that battle.”
”…!”
At those words, a chilling killing intent filled the air once more. It was then.
“Enough, everyone.”
Boom!
After the silence, the Heavenly Sword finally drew his sword and drove it into the ground. A shockwave reverberated as if the mountain’s peak itself was twisting.
“Count Brandenburg, as the one overseeing the Sword Trial, could you please bring order to this chaos?”
The Heavenly Sword turned to Philip. Among the Knights of St. Magdalena, Philip smiled coldly, as if it were someone else’s business.
“The ‘Black Prince’ before us killed my proud father.”
He smiled and spoke.
“And the Heavenly Sword Duke Lancaster’s beloved son, Prince Michael, was also killed.”
”…”
“At the hands of this vile ‘Black Prince,’ we lost countless beloved family members!”
Philip declared.
“Above all, didn’t the next master of the Holy Sword, the Holy Maiden Aurelia, lose her life?”
“So what do you intend to do, Count Philip?”
Dale asked coldly.
“I don’t care about the traditions of the long-fallen Teutonic Order. But there are things I must reclaim here!”
Philip declared, finally revealing his trump card.
“──Holy Maiden, I wish to propose marriage to you!”
To the master of the Holy Sword, the false and pure white Aurelia, who should have perished in the ashes of Saxon’s frozen lands.
”…?”
At the unexpected words, Dale was left speechless.
“My father was the former Holy Sword Master, and by uniting with the count’s family, the Holy Maiden’s position will be even more secure!”
Philip continued.
“Isn’t that right, Duke Lancaster? I, too, know the sorrow of losing a beloved family member to the ‘Black Prince’! And the imperial family, of course. How threatening Saxon is to us and how much it has taken from us…”
Silence fell. But in the silence, Philip of Brandenburg was undeterred.
“I propose a triangular alliance to eliminate the ‘Black Prince’ together! And then, we can peacefully and gentlemanly divide the positions of the Seven Swords. With the ‘Black Prince’ of Saxon and his three swords gone, the positions of the Seven Swords will be more than enough for all of us!”
”…”
“And I am content with the position of the Mad Sword!”
”…”
”…”
Philip’s words were met with a chilling silence. The coldest silence in the world.
“Wow.”
Breaking the silence, the Seventh Prince Mordred spoke.
“I’ve seen all kinds of idiots in my life, but I’ve never seen one as spectacularly idiotic as this guy.”
“P-Prince Mordred…?”
“What does a piece of trash like you think you’re doing, claiming to be the son of the Holy Sword?”
“They say you can’t fix stupid, and that’s so true.”
Dale shrugged, mocking. He didn’t care that Philip’s arrows were aimed at him.
“Do you really think such a plan would work?”
Dale taunted, questioning Philip.
“W-what…?”
At those words, Philip’s expression hardened instantly. The Grand Duke of Lancaster, known as the Celestial Sword, remained silent, his face a mask of stoicism. Only Charlotte’s face betrayed a faint hint of confusion. From that alone, it was clear—when the time came, Charlotte would readily answer her lord’s call and take up her sword.
“Ha, cornered like a rat by my brilliant strategy!”
“May I ask you something?”
Dale retorted, incredulous.
“Do you even know what your father, the Holy Sword, did to the Maiden of Britannia?”
“Ha, is that even a question? He defeated her fair and square as a knight should, didn’t he?”
Philip shouted without a shred of doubt. Dale was left speechless by his response.
He glanced sideways.
In the shadows, the dark Aurelia had nothing to say, and the pure Maiden standing there was no exception. They swallowed their shock and disbelief, masking it with cold hatred.
It was at that moment.
“Is there anything we can’t do?”
After a long silence, Sephelia, the Ghost Blade, spoke up, drawing her ‘Soulbringer’ with a chilling aura.
“Setting aside that fool’s nonsense, is there any reason we can’t kill the ‘Black Prince’ here?”
Her words carried an unparalleled, icy menace.
“The ‘Black Prince’ of Saxon is dangerous. But killing him here could easily be disguised as an unfortunate incident during the Sword’s Trial. What do you think, Your Highness?”
With those words, the tension in the air became palpable, a murderous intent hanging thick.
The Grand Duke of Lancaster remained silent, while Charlotte looked at Dale, as if awaiting her lord’s command.
The pure Maiden gripped her holy sword and turned her head.
“Ha, madam, do you really think you can say that after seeing our numbers?”
Master Baro retorted coldly. In terms of the Seven Swords, it was three against two, and the fact that the Holy Sword was bound by the ‘Blue Web’ was a hidden threat they were unaware of.
“True, the Seven Swords are outnumbered.”
At that moment, the Seventh Prince, Mordred, looked around and spoke.
“But the number of ‘testers’ here doesn’t seem to be in your favor.”
Regardless of the Seven Swords, the number of knights gathered in the Hall of Swords for the trial was not insignificant.
“Anyone who defies my brother’s and my orders here will be deemed a traitor to the Empire and have their family wiped out for three generations.”
The Seventh Prince Mordred sneered coldly.
“So, are you starting to get the picture? Proud swords of the Empire.”
With a prince of the imperial bloodline present, it was clear which side the gathered knights would choose.