I Tried To Be Her Loyal Sword

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Chapter 246

The pitch-black darkness began to lift, and dawn started breaking.

I sat against Leo’s bed headboard, watching the rising sun while my hand continued to pat Leo’s back.

During ordinary times, I thought being a Sword Master was pretty useless as it only made one overly sensitive, but in moments like this, it was definitely convenient. I could pull an all-nighter without feeling strained.

‘Time to get up.’

It was about time for Leo’s attendants to come in. If I remained by his side any longer, it would only mean my name would be a headline in the Atara Kingdom newspapers, not just a simple rumor.

I moved carefully so as not to wake Leo.

“Where are you going?”

And I was immediately caught.

Feeling amazed at Leo’s keen senses, I helped close his sleep-heavy eyelids with my hand.

“I’m just heading back to my room. Isn’t the spotlight enough already? I didn’t know you had ambitions to decorate the front page of tomorrow’s newspaper with my name.”

“……Just five more minutes.”

Leo, who had stirred slightly, pulled me tightly into an embrace and whined, which was unlike him. I let out a laugh out of disbelief, then suddenly my expression stiffened at a thought that occurred to me.

“Leo, I heard there’s a spy in Atara. Do you know who it is?”

Lewelin had hinted to me about the existence of a spy when I was departing for Atara. Since she provided that information, I trusted it to be true.

“……How did you find out about that?”

Taking my question seriously, Leo’s eyes widened, and he groaned low as he sat up. His light green eyes glimmered with caution.

“I examined the motives and circumstances to narrow down the candidates. But it’s not confirmed yet.”

It seemed he was trying to exert some influence in Atara as well. I sighed briefly and rubbed my chin.

“Have we received word that the reinforcements are advancing to the Pavlov region?”

“……There’s a high probability that we have.”

War was a suffocating battle of wits. I pressed my forehead.

‘We’re supposed to depart today, and I can’t reverse the decision.’

Even if I reversed the decision, I couldn’t be sure the changed information wouldn’t leak. If it did, the Northern Army that was supposed to come to Pavlov might redirect elsewhere.

‘But what can I do? I have to go.’

No choice could be perfect, so I had to trust my decision. I collected my troubled thoughts and asked Leo.

“Who are the candidates for the spy?”

“Baron Gilbert Perry, Count Sherry Ainarl, and……”

Leo slowly counted on his fingers but folded the third finger.

“Count Wilhelm Ostheon.”

The last name was one I was already well acquainted with.

“……Count Ostheon?”

“Yes. His movements have been suspicious.”

I recalled the person detector alerting me when he was nearby. He was someone who had shown me an unbelievable skill recognized by Cal and Aria.

‘Please prove that my thoughts are wrong.’

‘Then were all of his actions just an act?’

Remembering Wilhelm’s relaxed demeanor the last time I saw him, I covered my eyes with one hand.

It was exhausting to suspect someone. If it ended in my personal loss, I might just choose to believe it, but I couldn’t let that slide given my current position.

“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure to unearth everything before you return. He’s starting to show his tail.”

Leo’s eyes blazed fiercely. I could see his resolve to end this matter quickly.

I smiled lightly and patted his shoulder.

“Don’t overdo it, and take care of yourself. I’ll win and come back.”

Confident that we would meet again in safety, I bid farewell in a light-hearted tone, as if checking in during the morning.

It would take just a day to travel from the royal castle to the Pavlov region. The reinforcements that had teleported to the Platinum region marched across the snowy forest.

‘It’s desolate.’

I cautiously guided my horse, which was struggling to move in the snow, and surveyed my surroundings.

The trees in the winter forest were all dead. The pale colors naturally cast a gloomy mood.

‘Still, the risk of ambush seems low.’

Unlike the narrow canyon I passed on my way to Atara, which was optimized for an ambush, this forest had fewer dense trees and a broad view.

Though the tall trees made it a bit concerning since they blocked the view of the sky, it was beautiful enough that I wanted to visit again for a retreat someday.

“Ahhh!”

That was when it happened. A thin scream from an adult male interrupted my thoughts.

I turned my head towards the direction of the twenty-first scream.

“Commander! Please calm this wild horse down! I mean, it’s really a wild horse!”

Julian, excited on his horse, looked at me with desperate eyes while flailing like a powerless paper doll.

I sighed.

“How about letting go of its mane then? It’s no wonder the horse is agitated if you keep pulling at its mane. If I tugged on your hair, you’d be jumping around too, wouldn’t you?”

“I-I was gentle! And if you pull my hair, it’ll get yanked out completely! Like a carrot, aaaaah!”

As the horse stomped in anger, Julian leaned over almost face-first into the saddle and screamed. His violet eyes, like violet flowers, looked like they were about to well up with tears.

“It’s okay. Calm down. I’ll catch you if you fall.”

I stopped giving advice and guided my horse to calm down Julian’s steed. It seemed Julian needed just as much calming, so I ruffled his hair too.

“I-I feel like I’m going to throw up……”

Julian, pale as a ghost, rubbed his face against my hand with a voice drained of life. He seemed to be feeling nauseous.

“You’re really useless. Why are you in the battlefield not even knowing how to ride?”

Cerenon, who was riding beside me, clicked his tongue at Julian. The half-dead Julian shot a glare at Cerenon.

“Ah, I-I’m so sorry! Unlike noblemen like you, I’m just a lowly commoner who isn’t familiar with horses!”

“That’s not the issue here.”

“What do you mean! Are you saying my lower status is a problem?”

After some time spent together, I had reached the level where I could consider the bickering between Cerenon and Julian as mere background music.

As I pretended not to notice Julian subtly kicking Cerenon’s horse, I caught the sound of someone kicking a stone below.

“Looks like there’s someone walking here, stop the nonsense……”

Kasiah gloomily muttered as she trudged past with her feet buried in the snow up to her ankles.

She preferred fighting dressed lightly rather than being encumbered in armor, making her look cold in her thin outfit. Her white cheeks had turned a shade of red.

“Are you okay, Lady Kasiah? If you want, I can have you ride with me.”

I looked at her with concern. It did bother me that a commoner knight like Kasiah had to walk. After my words, Kasiah met my gaze for a moment, blinked, and rubbed her flushed nose before shaking her head.

“I don’t want special treatment. Besides, this much march is basic for a soldier.”

Her pride and diligence as a knight were evident in her words.

Expecting her answer, I briefly smiled and nodded. I respected her for that.

“But…… doesn’t it smell strange since a while ago?”

Having finished a heated debate with Julian, Cerenon returned and sniffed the air. At that, Kasiah also narrowed her brow as she took a deep breath.

“Indeed, it smells sweet.”

I looked around.

I had been sensing a specific sweet scent for a while now, but I had assumed it was the winter wildflowers that were local specialties, which I hadn’t seen yet, and didn’t pay much attention.

‘Why does this smell feel oddly familiar?’

A shiver ran down my spine. I frowned, trying to recall the identity of the sense of déjà vu.

‘Ah.’

And then I realized.

“……Commander, is something wrong?”

As I stopped, Jonathan, who was riding a short distance away, asked. My halt had caused the entire reinforcements to come to a stop.

Amidst them, I glared at the sky with the feeling of having seen the enemy’s true face.

Flap.

A very faint sound of wings gradually grew louder, and the scent became more potent. I cursed under my breath.

‘You bastards. Are you doing this again!’

Without hesitation, I drew my sword.

“Everyone, prepare for an ambush!”

“Ambush?”

Julian, who was nearly dead on his horse, looked surprised at my shout. Similarly shocked but obediently drawing his sword was Kasiah, who rubbed her eyes as if something had gotten in them.

“Wait, what’s that powder……”

Coughing, Cerenon hurriedly looked up at the sky.

From above, tiny particles of red powder were fluttering down.

As nocturnal monsters, I hadn’t imagined they would appear now, so I realized it too late. I bit down on my teeth in self-reproach.

The sweet smell like honey. The sparkling red powder. The elegant fluttering.

Before I knew it, the sky started to be covered in butterfly-shaped figures.

“It’s an attack from Kiphira!”

The butterfly-shaped monster, “Red Nightmare” Kiphira, sprayed a hallucinogenic red powder as it flapped its wings.

“Everyone, cover your noses and mouths with cloth! If you inhale too much of the powder, it will cause hallucinations!”

I hastily tore my blue cloak to cover my nose and mouth. Having faced Kiphira over and over, I had built some immunity to the hallucination powder, but too much inhalation was still dangerous.

I shouted at the confused soldiers.

“Don’t scatter! They’ll come down from above! The knights must prioritize not inhaling the powder and cut them down if they come close!”

I gritted my teeth.

The reinforcements had far more swordsmen than mages. The regular swordsmen who couldn’t use aura couldn’t engage at range, making the combination with the flying Kiphira extremely poor. They had no choice but to wait until Kiphira charged in.

Swooosh!

Sharp poisonous needles started pouring down from the sky at high speed.

“It’s a paralysis poison! Protect yourselves!”

With a swing, I kicked off the horse and brandished my sword.

Most of the poisonous needles that were caught in the wide swing of my black aura were slashed away, but I could see a few soldiers fell from being struck by the needles I couldn’t cut in time. I tried to calm my heart that was pounding ferociously.

‘Damn it, how can we win? Kiphira’s weakness……!’

While forcing my mind to churn, a piece of information flashed through my head like lightning.

“Water! Quickly, water!”

“Cough! What?”

Even with a cloth around his face, Cerenon coughed a few times and replied. I hurriedly turned to look at the mages.

“Mages, use water magic towards the sky! Kiphira can’t fly if its wings are wet!”

Unlike ordinary butterflies, the red powder couldn’t protect Kiphira’s wings. Water was Kiphira’s biggest enemy.

Whoosh!

As I gave the command, the mages all simultaneously activated their water magic. As water streams shot up into the sky, many Kiphira, which had been covering the sky, fell like rain.

The sight of the huge butterflies flapping their wings in the water was horrifying enough that people around began to retch.

‘But this alone isn’t enough. There are too many of them!’

“Damn it, if only it would snow……!”

Despite the skies having poured heavy snow day after day recently, today it was oddly clear and bright.

Just as I was going crazy trying to think.

“If it’s water, would holy water work too?”

Julian, who had been quietly covering his mouth and nose with his white cloak, asked next to me.

‘Holy water?’

I turned my head quickly to look at him.

“That’s perfect. Holy power is the best against monsters. Water can only suppress Kiphira’s movement, but holy water can burn Kiphira’s wings. If we run out of holy water, the red powder will be purified, and the soldiers under hallucination will recover too, a win-win.”

Julian, with his violet eyes rolling, took a deep breath.

“I-I mean, I’m a hand warmer, but a vice-delegate is still a vice-delegate. I can summon holy rain.”

“Really?”

I beamed. There’s always a way out, and this is the best scenario.

“You……! I thought you were completely useless……!”

“I’ve changed your impression……!”

Caught up in the panic, Julian’s delighted expression seemed to cast off the daze from Cerenon and Kasiah, who looked disturbed. I leapt into the air and grabbed his shoulder.

“Then I’ll leave it to you! Hurry!”

“B-but there’s a big problem!”

Julian shouted, cutting off my words. He looked like he was about to cry.

“I can’t remember the incantation for Holy Rain……!”

A hole to escape opened, but it was a very trouble-filled hole.