Knights and Nobles (2)

Kleio didn’t know what had caused Melchior to go through that madness, as it had never appeared in the last manuscript. Blood ran down the crown prince’s chin, dripping to the floor. The demon was blocked by Melchior’s skill, but neither Arthur nor Tasserton dared to intervene in the enormous encounter of ether. The two beasts that were rumbling overlapped and then merged into one once more.

[Unique skill: Structural View

—Additional function Obedience]

With his terrifying power, Melchior prevented the demon from dividing into two. At the same moment, Kleio thought up of the worst possibility. One that Arthur couldn’t even consider.

‘Grendel can use the duke’s skills. What should we do if he obtains Melchior’s power?’

What if Melchior, and not Grendel, faced their limit first? The boy wizard pulled the protagonist close to him with all his might.

“Lei, why…”

The prince was puzzled, but he gently leaned over to Kleio as he whispered urgently.

“Let’s leave; you have to avoid it.”

Embarrassed, Kleio tried to persuade Arthur, but he wouldn’t accept the request.

“…I can’t. It will be difficult to beat that beast with just those two alone. The situation’s too urgent.”

Kleio felt a sigh in his heart.

‘He won’t listen.’

The confrontation between Melchior and Grendel didn’t last long. Grendel’s fingers began to twitch.

“Lei, I’ll stay here. Go grab master!”

Arthur prepared to swing his sword as he shouted. At the same time, dagger-like ether formed around the beast’s nails as he broke through Melchior’s skill.

‘How am I supposed to do that? Before I even leave the hallway, the world will collapse!’

The crown prince, his power lost, fell once more. Even if he could move freely, the situation wasn’t a favorable one. The shape of the beast moving around on four limbs was creepily inhumane. It was like it could ignore gravity as it bounced off the walls at bizarre angles. It had been unable to divide due to Melchior’s skill, but that didn’t seem to hinder it as it moved toward Melchior and Tasserton.

Mercury dripped from its open mouth, freezing and breaking whatever it touched. It was a mana stone that possessed an ominous power of cold. Arthur resolutely stretched out his sword to intercept it, his sword glowing with ether. It looked like a spear of light as it shot out. Grendel’s darkness seemed to break as the golden ether touched it, but it only became more ferocious. Whenever it collided with the demon’s nails, Arthur’s sword was pushed back.

Kiiiiii!

At the same time, Grendel, who collided with the sword, was worn out little by little, but the amount was insignificant. The boy’s sturdy form was pushed by the pure power he faced. Kleio couldn’t hesitate anymore, and he activated Editor’s Authority. He couldn’t be concerned about what errors might pop up.

[Unique skill: ‘Editor’s Authority’ (2/3)

… Cannot be used.]

[―It is an improvised development that cannot be stopped. The outline of the section has not been prepared.]

Kleio’s eyes widened, filled with despair beyond words. Looking down reflexively at his hands, Kleio called for it again, even pushing ether into his stigma. However, there was no reaction. No matter how hard he tried, those lines wouldn’t become visible, and the messages from Promise vanished. Thoughts began to slam into his mind through the gaps opened in Separation.

‘Can Arthur beat Grendel?’

‘No, it is impossible.’

Tasserton could block him, but as long as Melchior’s safety was a priority, he couldn’t show off his skills. Even he was shaken by a lack of ether. Their only hope was Mietsu, but even a swordmaster wasn’t capable of flying. Could they hold on until he arrived? Somehow, this kid…

Kleio measured the amount of ether he had left. It was unlikely that he could implement any magic properly.

‘If I passed out while using magic, it’ll be over. Arthur won’t be able to abandon me, and that will kill him.’

But he had to help Arthur somehow. However, Editor’s Authority wasn’t functional, and he lacked the ether to use his magic.

Shaaaa!

The beast, fully adapted to the duke’s body now, didn’t give in as he pressed Arthur and Tasserton back from all sides with [Attack Circle] and his alter egos. Long, ethereal nails drew out the swordsman’s blood. The two were valiantly confronting Grendel, but Kleio saw them gradually being worn down. Grendel was skillfully injuring both of them, bit by bit. Grendel’s trajectory was hard to track, as it could suddenly turn in the air to avoid their blows.

‘If this area were only a little wider, there would be a chance. Damn it!’

Tasserton was already in a state where [Attack Circle] couldn’t be activated given the damage he had suffered from Pyton. He was practically back-to-back with Arthur as they faced the demon. Light and dark crossed, again and again, scraping at each other.

In the recent collision, Grendel’s mercury had touched their flesh, turning parts of their skin blue and causing it to burst. Blood splattered on the floor, shining red like a ruby.

Ruby. Kleio hid behind the door, hurriedly pulling out his subspace wallet. He had brought along a few rubies to make a heating pad.

‘Even without ether, I can activate the magic if I use the mana stones.’

As proved by treating Melchior, the mana stones would reduce the ether he used. Fortunately, the duke’s bedroom was the size of Kleio’s circle.

Klang! KLANG!

Tasserton’s sword was caught by Grendel as he tried to defend Melchior. The sword had cleaved off one of the demon’s fingers, but in response-

Klang!

Grendel put a claw through Tasserton’s sword, and the mercury began to melt away at it. Though its skin was torn, and its bones were exposed, the beast seemed to feel no pain as it broke through Tasserton’s sword as if it were a piece of wood. Tasserton was not a knight who only knew how to politely duel, however, as he kicked Grendel with a [Reinforced] boot. However, the devil didn’t budge even as its chest caved in and its ribs pierced its own lungs. Rather, it began dragging Tasserton by the mangled sword towards the broken wall. Grendel stretched out his arms, pulling Tasserton ever closer to the hole.

Suddenly, a sound like a thunderclap erupted from Tasserton, and Promise sparkled.

[Common skill: Dimorphization

―You can create an alter ego with the same abilities as the main body.

*Incompletely implemented due to the caster’s level and lack of ether.]

‘Tasserton is still level 7, how…?!’

One Tasserton entangled himself with Grendel, moving violently. His body became hazy as he moved and struggled with Grendel. The other Tasserton, still holding his sword, strengthened his whole body to protect Melchior, trying to push him out of the room.

Kiiiii!

Grendel bit the neck of the etheric contract, causing it to scatter. Losing the incomplete alter ego caused Tasserton to stagger. Grendel didn’t miss the gap, however, as he went for Tasserton’s leg. Arthur tried to help, but he was overwhelmed by the alter ego he was dealing with.

‘Damn!’

Kleio spread out his circle, filling the duke’s bedroom and causing it to shine like a lighthouse under the moonless sky. Kleio, suddenly catching the attention of Grendel and his alter ego, shouted.

“Arthur! I’m going to light up your sword, so cut them down!”

Arthur had previously used the mana stone shield made by Kleio, so he nodded resolutely. Instead of wondering how he gripped his tattered sword tightly. The protagonist wasn’t one to ever doubt, so Kleio had to repay that faith.

‘I can only use it once. If you fail, the world will fall into ruin.’

The boy loaded the magic formula into three of the rubies he held with a cold palm. Despite Promise’s defenses, his hand was trembling. Either the manuscript had been developed incorrectly due to a momentary mistake, or a paragraph had been written when the mind wasn’t clear. Either way, the author wouldn’t want the story to end at this point.

‘Would he have such a great banquet lead to such a sudden annihilation?!’

The patterns woven over the rubies were [Fire] and [Track]. The light of the ruby blended with Kleio’s ether and burned red like a sunset. The beast’s motion became dull as the ether exploded out, and Kleio reached out to Arthur in that gap. Magical fire floated on his bare hands, like the flame given to humanity by Prometheus, and moved onto Arthur’s sword. A mantra came swelling up from his subconscious, moving to his mind with their own will, as Kleio shouted them out.

“[Whoever has orbited the flames will stay as the flames satellite!]” 4)

After transferring the magic to Arthur, Kleio staggered back against the door, and the prince’s anxious gaze followed him.

“Do it!”

Arthur knew what to do; he was as powerful as his foe with this flaming sword. He moved quickly to cut through the Grendel who had bitten into Tasserton’s thigh. The demon’s back was split open as black mercy flowed out to restore its shape, but the fiery sword was swung without mercy to overpower the darkness. Kleio covered his face as the black blood splattered on him and all over the floors.

4) 「The Star of the Covenant」, Stefan George.