I had never once fought Kaeld head-on with everything I had.
But before my regression, I had watched his swordplay hundreds, no, thousands of times—over and over again, I had pictured it in my head.
The image of me defeating him and standing tall in front of him.
And surprisingly—
Not once had I been able to complete that image.
‘That’s why I’ll use a skill from the very beginning.’
Quick Sprint!
My leg muscles swelled grotesquely.
And then—
-Taat!The dirt of the training ground couldn’t withstand my stomp and exploded several meters into the air.
I closed the distance between me and Kaeld at a speed many times faster than an arrow.
“…Huh.”
Kaeld, clearly flustered, quickly raised his sword in defense.
-Kagagagakang!
Sparks flew from our swords, accompanied by a screeching metallic shriek.
I had aimed for a surprise blow, but my sword was blocked far more easily than I expected.
“You’re not a top-grade mercenary.”
“Because there’s nothing above that.”
“I suppose your arrogance makes a bit more sense now. But—”
Kaeld tilted his sword ever so slightly.
What? Tilting his sword in that position?
‘That leaves your neck exposed.’
Though confused, I thrust my sword straight at his neck.
But like some kind of phantom, Kaeld twisted his body and lifted his angled sword upright at a perfect ninety degrees.
How the hell is he able to change his stance like that?
“Tch.”
Whoosh.
His sword narrowly grazed my hair and missed.
Relief only lasted a moment—soon, a storm-like flurry of slashes came crashing down from Kaeld.
“I admit it. Giving you the first move—that was my arrogance.”
“…!”
“So now, I’ll get serious.”
Kugwang! Kwaang!
Though it was merely a clash of blades, it felt like my whole body had been pummeled by a giant hammer.
Taat. Tat.
I repeatedly used Quick Sprint to charge at him and then widen the distance again.
But with his incredible reflexes and speed, he either dodged or caught up with me every time.
[Hey! What’s wrong with you? Try a little harder!]
‘I am trying. This is why desk jockeys can’t talk.’ *Desk jockeys meaning office workers.
[I didn’t know I was a desk jockey. Fascinating.]
Spin.
I ducked under his final slash.
Then I sprang upward from below.
“Die!—Wait, no, don’t die!”
“You still have the strength to joke around?”
Thunk.
‘Huh?’
W-what the hell?
Before I knew it, my sword had stopped moving.
He had grabbed it—blade and all—with his bare hand!
Drip.
His skin tore and muscle split open on the blade, his hand bones grinding audibly.
But I couldn’t cut all the way through.
‘That’s insane. Normally, the whole hand would’ve been lopped off clean.’
Strangely enough, Kaeld muttered something similar just then.
“Amazing. Normally, I wouldn’t have even been scratched.”
“….”
“Let’s end this.”
He yanked the sword he was gripping toward himself.
At the same time, he raised his opposite fist, drawing it back like a bowstring aimed at me.
[That’s dangerous! If that hits, your head’s gonna fly off!]
‘I know.’
That’s why I prepared this.
From under my tongue, I took what I had hidden—an Essence Gem of Desolation—and bit down on it.
I drew some of its energy into my left hand.
“This is what real combat looks like—dirty and wild!”
My arm muscles, now brimming with energy, swelled to the point of bursting.
“…Huh?”
A flicker of shock passed through Kaeld’s eyes for the first time.
But it was too late—he couldn’t take back the punch he had already launched.
And neither could I.
I met his flying punch with all the strength I could muster.
-Puuuhhk!
Fist met fist in midair.
That was all.
But the sand and gravel around us flew up into the air and rained down like a shower.
Crunch.
An awful sound came from one of our arms.
Was it mine? Or his?
The answer came quickly.
Crack.
Kaeld’s arm was utterly shattered.
Not just broken.
Hundreds of bone fragments must now be floating freely beneath his skin.
“Guhk!”
Pain enough to make someone pass out several times over—but he neither screamed nor cried out.
Instead, he staggered back, clutching his ruined arm.
His pupils shook—seems the psychological blow hit him harder than the physical one.
“This… this can’t be happening.”
“….”
“How did this happen? What trick did you use?!”
I ignored him and looked down at my own left arm.
The veins beneath the skin had burst and it was swollen, but compared to Kaeld’s pulverized bones, I was in much better shape.
“Sometimes the most complicated problems have simple answers.”
“….”
“I’m just stronger than you.”
Grind.
He clenched his teeth and said,
“…No matter how I think about it, you winning doesn’t make any sense.”
“Why not? You said it yourself.”
“What?”
“You said a Hero doesn’t lose. So I didn’t lose.”
Kaeld’s expression twisted.
He suddenly threw his sword to the ground.
At first I thought it was a gesture of surrender—but no.
Slide.
He reached for the sword on his other hip.
‘That sword…’
Just the pattern on the hilt was enough to tell me.
The Hero’s Sword!
No, it must be the fake Hero’s Sword he recovered from Padania Brook’s grave.
A cold sweat rolled down my back.
[What, are you scared just because he switched weapons?]
‘I’m not scared. But that’s not just any weapon.’
[Sure, but it’s still fake, right?]
‘Before the regression, Kaeld carried that fake Hero’s Sword around for a while. I witnessed what he could do with it—closer than anyone.’
Is he really going to take this to the death?
I corrected my stance.
And then—
“Heuhe.”
A bizarre laugh slipped from Kaeld’s mouth—so strange it was hard to imitate.
He always tried to act like the kind and noble type, but every now and then, he made that freakish sound.
Usually when he had some scheme in mind.
“Let’s stop. I lost.”
He let go of the fake Hero’s Sword.
Trail murmured in my mind.
[That’s unexpected.]
‘Not at all. He’s already figured it out.’
[Figured what out?]
‘That swinging the Hero’s Sword at another human, not a monster, would affect how his comrades see him. So he’s already thinking ahead to the next move.’
[Even with a shattered arm, he can think that far ahead?]
If it’s him, absolutely.
I stayed quiet for a moment, then lowered my stance.
If I corner him any further, he really might bring out that sword—and that would be bad for me.
“Fine. Let’s leave it at that.”
“Thanks for accepting. Your skill was truly impressive.”
“Yeah, sure.”
“Come to think of it, there’s no reason for us to be fighting like this.”
Kaeld had already returned to his usual warm smile.
“Let’s get along from now on, Mide.”
“…What?”
“The oracle hasn’t been delivered yet. No need for us to devour each other early—once it does come, the true Hero will be chosen anyway.”
“…”
“Until then, let’s build up our reputations. I’ll handle the South, and you the North.”
I straightened my back and replied.
“Yeah. That’s the plan.”
“Hm.”
He stroked his chin, deep in thought.
Then, slowly, he said,
“According to our earlier agreement, it actually doesn’t matter much who stops the earthquake. Whichever one of us gains fame, it’ll eventually be absorbed by the one chosen as the Hero through the oracle.”
“……”
“But this time, I’d like a bit of a competition.”
Then he proposed this:
“Tomorrow, let’s go together to the lord’s manor.”
“Huh?”
“There, let’s declare to the lord that ‘one of us’ will stop the quake. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to ask him to spread the word either. It’ll help with our reputation.”
“……”
“After that, we each do what we can in our own way. And if I win this time—”
He looked me in the eye, deadly serious.
“How about joining me in advance?”
“No thanks.”
“Knew you’d say that.”
He gave a casual shrug.
“Let’s both give it our all, then. You said Heroes grow through fighting, right? That duel today made me warm up to you, a little.”
Cut the crap.
Spare me the drama.
You’d still kill me in a heartbeat if the chance came up.
I stifled a sigh and got to my feet.
Kaeld was already reaching out his hand to me.
“Alright then. Let’s do this fair and square.”
“Of course.”
We shook hands, each hiding our own schemes.
If there’s such a thing as the fakest handshake in the world, this was it.
As Trail would say—
‘Idria would absolutely love a handshake like this.’
We returned to the inn and gathered in a room.
Neril looked worriedly at my arm—which had been not just healed, but over-healed—and said,
“Are you really okay now? Xenia, heal him one more time.”
“Geez, how many times do I have to say it? Not even the Celestial God himself could do more at this point.”
“But you know, just in case…”
“I said I’m fine! Grandma, you’ve been acting weird since earlier.”
“Hmm. Sorry.”
“…Wow. You really are off. You didn’t even catch me calling you Grandma.”
Exactly.
I deliberately spun my arm in circles and opened my mouth.
“Really, I’m fine. Don’t worry.”
“I wasn’t worried, okay? I was just a little… concerned.”
What’s even the difference between the two?
That’s when Adwin spoke up.
“Hey. Back when your fists clashed at the end—”
“Yeah?”
“You used that Gem of Desolation, right? The one you showed me before?”
“Sharp of you.”
I moved my tongue and spat out the jewel.
Xenia clicked her tongue.
“Ugh. Did you have to store it like that? What if we need to use it later?”
“It was the only way not to let that guy notice. I’ll clean it thoroughly.”
“Phew… Anyway, if you hadn’t had it…”
“Yeah. I probably couldn’t have guaranteed a win.”
When I admitted that plainly, Neril raised her eyebrows.
“Let me just say, it’s not because you’re weak. That Kaeld guy—what the hell is he? It’s not just that he’s strong. I’ve never seen anyone stay that composed with a mangled arm like that.”
“Yeah.”
“You, me, and Xenia—we were all somewhat famous to begin with. And Adwin might not be famous yet, but he’s got the background—he’s the son of the Mariana, after all.”
“……”
“But Kaeld? He’s a total no-name. Before he called himself a Hero, no one had heard anything about him.”
True.
Even before my regression, I’d never heard anything about Kaeld’s childhood or youth.
I could only give her an awkward smile.
Neril sighed when she saw it.
“That guy is seriously annoying.”
“He pisses me off too. That’s why I’m going to flip the script on his reputation this time.”
“……”
“Neril, about that favour I asked?”
She gave a sly smile and replied,
“You mean Lisel? I managed to leave a message. If everything goes according to plan, she’ll be here at midnight.”
Good.
Time to bring Lisel over to our side.