Chapter 104: Initiation Ceremony (1)
I was walking nonchalantly, not even bothering to avoid the puddles as I was pelted with hard raindrops.
The sky was full of rumbling dark clouds.
As I stepped over the fence and out into the open, I saw a woman dressed in a robe and mounted on a horse, just like me.
She was sheltering from the rain under a large old tree but when she spotted me she called out to me.
“You’re early, aren’t you?”
Ecline’s cheerful voice cuts through the rain.
Today was the day of my introduction to the Silver Winged Knights’ branch near the Academy.
The meeting place and time had been agreed upon with Ecline. When she asked me how I was going to get there on time, I told her that I would simply ask around.
It was a long weekend, and I had a lot to do.
“Eh… Eh… Eek!!!”
Before I could respond, Ecline sneezed and then blew her nose.
“How long have you been waiting for me, Ms. Ecline, I thought I was early.”
I ask, pulling my robe down over my head.
Ecline had been under a tree, apparently sheltered from the rain, but her robe was soaked through, as if she hadn’t been able to avoid it entirely.
“The Saint told me to leave earlier since you’re the type to be out early and waiting for me. Cough, it’s just a cold, I can ask the Saint to heal it, woohoo.”
Ecline flicked her nose and smirked.
‘I see she still has a thing for Bernice.’
She was as innocent as I’d gotten used to in the game.
[I’ve noticed this before…but she looks quite young for a deputy leader of the Saint Knights Order.]
Sierra’s voice echoed in my head as she studied Ecline’s face.
Yes, she is. This pale-faced girl was the deputy leader of the Knights.
The silver armor that peeked through Ecline’s robes confirmed her status.
At a young age, around the same age as Bernice and me, Ecline had risen to the position of deputy leader through hard work and grit, without any special talent.
Because of her background, she is well respected within the Order, and I know she is often cited as a role model for new recruits.
Her swordsmanship is unremarkable, but her fundamentals are very solid, accurate, and concise.
That’s all I know about her.
“By the way, is she in the branch we’re going to?”
I stomped through the mud and approached Ecline.
“Yes. There’s still the initiation ceremony.”
“An initiation?”
“Did you think it was going to end with me giving you a badge and saying, ‘Welcome to the Order…Well, given the circumstances, it won’t be a formal initiation, so it’ll be quiet.”
I nodded at Ecline’s explanation.
‘It’s an initiation, nothing out of the ordinary.’
Just then, I catch sight of Sheddie wading into a puddle and splashing around. She couldn’t float like Sierra, but she could tread water.
But since she was a spirit, the puddle, the falling rain, and her fluffy body had no effect on her.
The lack of moonlight made the darkness around even more intense and the more darkness around, the stronger she seems to be.
Anyway…Bernice would be able to sense the furry creature’s aura, even if only vaguely.
Priscilla had also sensed it, albeit without direct contact and she whispered to me, barely audible to Yuri, who had come to the infirmary with her.
‘You’ve brought a lot of strange things with you, haven’t you?’
I hadn’t seen her in quite some time.
We hadn’t seen each other during the public classes because Priscilla shunned the Holy Land, especially the Saint, because of a past she wanted to keep hidden so I didn’t probe further.
‘Still, it’s better to keep my distance from Priscilla, but…’
I wasn’t able to predict Bernice’s reaction, but I had prepared for it.
The important thing is that even if the dark spirits are related to demons, the mana and energy of the dark spirits are quite different.
At least they can’t be mistaken for demons.
In any case, Bernice has definitely built up a crush on me, and I think that if I use that to my advantage and be flexible, there’ll be a way out.
– Pfft.
The horse Ecline was riding reared its head and whinnied while Ecline patted the spot behind her.
“Shall we go? I didn’t bring a spare horse because I didn’t think you’d be able to ride one. You can’t ride a horse, can you?”
Ecline asks questioningly, holding out her hand to me.
“I can’t ride a horse….yet.”
I took Ecline’s outstretched hand and climbed onto the horse.
This was true, as horsemanship was a skill, after all, and I hadn’t really learned it.
There was no place to keep a horse, and given my ‘quirks’, in many ways it was better to use a carriage.
Still, the process of learning the skill wasn’t too difficult, so I figured it would be worth learning.
“… It sounds like you can ride a horse as long as you learn it.”
“Haha, you never know.”
My cheeky laugh continues while Ecline grabs my arm and pulls me along.
“…You have to hold on to my waist.”
I follow Ecline’s cautious voice and wrap my arms around her waist. Despite her armor, her thin waist leaves a lot of room but I wasn’t the only one who needed to get on the horse.
Sierra came up behind me and hugged me.
“Kerung.”
Sheddie, who had been playing in the puddle, rushed over and clung to my feet.
‘I think she’s going to fall off…’
I wondered if Sheddie, like Sierra, would be able to teleport to my side if she got more than a certain distance away.
Sierra grabs Sheddie’s head and places him on top of mine.
[Your place is here.]
Sierra’s lilting voice follows.
“Kerung!”
And Sheddie chirps contentedly.
Soon Ecline started to lead the horse and as we made our way through the raindrops, I asked her.
“Are we heading straight to the branch?”
“No, there’s something I need to do first.”
“What’s that?”
“The initiation test. Even though I said it didn’t seem necessary, the branch leader said I couldn’t break tradition.”
“An initiation test…It must be slaying a demon.”
“Yeah, we found the location of one of them. Normally, four or five new recruits gather to slay a demon and bring back its horn for the initiation ceremony…I assume you’re good enough to do it on your own?”
“Yes.”
The demon to be slain for the initiation test wouldn’t be a strong demon, and there was no problem since I had Reverse Heaven.
With that, we traveled quickly, with the sound of harsh hooves and rain in our ears.
***
In order to prepare for Zetto’s initiation test, I visit the demon’s lair, which we’ve already scouted out.
“Everything went well?”
I asked the Knight guarding the lair, and she bowed her head in response.
“Yes, the ‘target’ is currently inside the hideout and hasn’t made any other movements as of yet. There have been no other entrances or exits, and the nearby residents have been evacuated.”
“…Is that so?”
I said, looking at Zetto beside me as I listened to the Knight explanation.
“You’re more thorough than I thought.”
Zetto said as he dismounted the horse.
“Normally, I wouldn’t go to such lengths to capture a single demon, but… It’s a test, so I can’t help it. Normally, I’d do a final check before the battle.”
“Everything went well?”
“A final check?”
Zetto’s voice sounded strangely cute, and I couldn’t help but smile.
“Here, take it.”
I tossed Zetto a pouch of small crystals.
‘I’m sure he’ll take it in moderation.’
However, contrary to my expectations, the pouch hit his body directly and fell to the ground without any force.
“…Vice-Captain?”
A nearby knight stared at me in disbelief at my behavior.
It was a look that said, “What are you doing to a man who is blind?”
“Ah… I… thought… that’s… what I’d get… Sorry.”
I scratched at my cheek in embarrassment while Zetto picked up the pouch from the floor.
“Haha, no… I was just distracted for a moment, so what’s in this pocket?”
Zetto shrugged it off and reached into the pouch he’d picked up.
“It’s a simple gemstone that allows you to cast a binding spell. It works like a scroll. You imbue the stone with mana, drop it on the ground, and you’re done. How’s that for simple?”
“Hmmm… What about the effects?”
Zetto asked, fiddling with the gemstone as he pulled it out of the pouch.
“Nothing much, just soundproofing magic and…a bit of physical weakening to make it harder for demons to escape.”
“It’s reacting to magick, I see.”
“Still, it won’t do much if the demon is strong, so be careful.”
“I see.”
With that brief explanation, Zetto and I quietly approached the building where the demons were supposed to be lurking.
Apparently, the inhabitants had been evacuated, so it was better to make quick work of it.
As we approached the compound, Zetto was silent for a while.
I wondered if he was nervous.
“Don’t be so nervous. The demons are weak because they can’t hide their magick so they shed it all over the place. It makes them easier to deal with.”
Zetto, who had been listening to my voice, nodded.
If his swordsmanship is anything like the one I saw in the open class, I’m sure he’ll be able to finish the demon off quickly and without too much trouble.
As we approach the building, Zetto speaks up.
“You said there was only one demon, right?”
Zetto asked and his question was somewhat meaningful.
“There’s only one demon we’ve been chasing. Why? Is there something wrong?”
“Well…”
His words trailed off, and he placed his palm on the door of the hideout.
He removes his hand and his mouth opens again.
“Earlier, I thought I might have been mistaken because of the rain, but now I know for sure: there are not one, but six demons in the building.”
“Six?”
I immediately questioned as Zetto continued.
‘Clairvoyance…’
I heard it was a special ability of Zetto, however I didn’t know what kind of feeling it was, but at least it allowed him to live and fight smoothly despite his blindness.
However, there were reports from the Knights that there were no other visitors.
Judging by the magick scattered around the building, it was obvious that it was a demonic lair. But even I couldn’t tell the exact number of them without entering the building itself.
I kept my eyes on Zetto in silence.
His robe covered his face in the rain, revealing a pure white bandage over his eyes and a dark hair not often seen.
He was a blind man wielding a sword and that alone made him special, but he was also the first ‘man’ the Saint had ever taken an interest in.
A man of her own choosing, a man who might one day stand beside her and spend the rest of his life with her.
Assuming Zetto was right about that…
“…’Nest’.”
Not all demons who lurked in human lands were strong; there were countless weaker demons who set foot in human lands to accumulate power.
Some of them, recognizing their weakness, banded together and in such cases, their lairs were called nests.
“Isn’t a nest a bit much for a test…?”
I said, scratching my head.
No matter how weak they are, the difficulty of defeating them naturally increases as their number increases.
I was about to say that I would help when Zetto pulled out his sword.
“No, no. I think that’s enough for a ‘test’.”
He said that with a coy smile and slowly ran his hand down the blade and as I’ve seen before, he held his sword in a reverse grip.
I knew instantly that this was the stance of his bizarre swordsmanship. But the only thing that puzzled me was that he hadn’t even entered the building yet.
Standing in the rain, Zetto swept his sword across the doorway and immediately his mana flow distorted.
It was unnatural, but I’d seen it before, and it didn’t surprise me anymore.
I kept my eyes on Zetto but inwardly I was full of anticipation for what he would show me.
It was amazing how focused he was in the pouring rain.
Then Zetto swung his sword hard.
‘Is that the same move he used to cut off the wings of the wyvern…?’
As I watched him, I called out in a low, urgent voice.
“Zetto, is it necessary to destroy the building…?”
“…”
Shrugging off my words, Zetto continued his smooth motion without any faltering and slashed five times.
Now the swords were supposed to fly and the doors were supposed to shatter…however seconds passed, but no damage was done to the building.
‘What the hell… Did he really just slash through the air…?’
I was watching him, wondering if he was going to use the ‘non-sword technique’ I saw last time.
My gaze was drawn to the sword in Zetto’s hand.
‘Demon blood…’
For some reason, Zetto’s red blade was stained with the black blood of a demon, and it was being washed away by the rain that was pouring down.
“Haha…”
A weak laugh escaped my lips as I finally understood the situation.
This was ridiculous but it meant that Zetto slashed the demons inside the building from outside. And without leaving the slightest scratch on the exterior walls.
‘This is not swordsmanship… It’s magic…’
While I was marveling at Zetto’s swordsmanship, he was still standing lazily at the door and seemed to be waiting for something.
What was he waiting for?
Soon enough, the sound of urgent running came from inside the building.
Zetto, who had been listening, swung his sword at the door and it burst open.
– Boom!
The sound of the door being kicked in is followed by several moments.
First, we see the face of the demon that came out of the door. His face is scarred with fear as a crimson horn grows on his forehead.
Then, before I could get a good look at it, its head was…..severed cleanly by Zetto’s sword.
The severed head rolls to the ground, and the headless creature’s torso tumbles forward, which Zetto side steps.
The demon’s body and neck were separated, and it is only then that it is able to fully exit the building.
– Aaaah.
Time, which seemed to be passing slowly, soon began to flow normally with the sound of pouring rain.
It was a seamless, flawless movement.
At a loss for words, Zetto’s head turns toward me, and his mouth opens.
“Everything is done.”
“Is that so…?”
I ask in a shaky voice, and we enter the building through the door that the demon opened.
The building smelled of stale rain and a piercing stench. It was the all-too-familiar scent of demon blood.
Slowly, I surveyed my surroundings and all around the house were the corpses of demons whose throats had been slit before they could make a move.
There were five corpses in total and each had a red horn growing out of their foreheads. Demons are said to be able to hide their horns, but when they die, they eventually reveal them.
Counting the one that died in front of the door, there were exactly six, just as Zetto had said.
“What……?”
I started to mutter, but ended up swallowing my words.
He had monstrous senses that allowed him to get an accurate headcount before you even enter a building and the ability to cut through obstacles and strike from far away.
Even when I think back to when he fought the wyvern, I realize that’s not all there is to him.
Zetto follows me into the building and asks me a question, the head of a demon in his hand.
“Deputy Leader, do you happen to have a dagger?”
“Ah…”
Apparently, he needed a dagger to cut off the horns so I handed him the dagger in my waistband without a word.
I looked at Zetto, who was casually chopping off the demon’s horns, and thought.
‘He looks like he’d make a good husband for the Saint…’