Chapter 251 - An Incompetent Warrior

Luri knew exactly what she had done. She had trespassed on their territory, ignored the sentries' warnings, and ventured deep inside. Now the entire garrison would turn on her. She would have to fight them.

Once, she would undoubtedly have hesitated again and again, but her steps did not falter. All she could see in her mind was the man that human, Heodret, had hurriedly carried to her on his back.

A foolish, frail human body. She had known that the man who kept acting so recklessly in such a body would one day find himself in danger. But knowing it and seeing it happen were worlds apart. When she saw that his right hand had been brutally torn off at the wrist, her thoughts seemed to stop.

True to her epithet, Luri had moved like the wind and administered first aid. She summoned a healing wind and mended every minor wound. But the one thing she could not restore was his severed right hand.

Prepared to sacrifice her own life, she wrung out every last drop of mana. She poured it into him again and again, determined to make the impossible possible. But that alone could not bring about a miracle. Luri was a warrior, not a mage.

After dozens of attempts, she stopped the bleeding, leaving his right hand missing. Then she sat quietly beside him, his condition now stable.

Time passed. Her mind was as blank as a sheet of white paper, yet every second felt like a hammer striking a stake driven into her chest. When time finally dulled the pain enough for her to think, four syllables came to her first.

'I have failed him.'

With more time, a longer sentence took shape.

'I have failed yet again.'

It had been like this ever since Ferda arrived. Whenever she tried to do anything, it only reminded her that she was nothing more than an ignorant, immature child. Her mistakes and everything that had happened in Heinkel Castle kept circling through her mind.

Her situation could be summed up in a single word.

'Incompetence.'

Without magic, she was incompetent. She was a warrior who had slain countless Demons and demonic creatures, yet she had failed to protect the very person she needed to protect.

Luri hated being incompetent. The incompetent could not survive. How could she stop being incompetent? As she was now, she could find no answer. That was why she had set foot in the north again.

A shape emerged through the raging blizzard: Eisenfels, Silverwind's stronghold. Luri gazed up at the fortress with dry eyes.

'Fighting my own family...'

One more step, and the attacks would begin. It was something she would have balked at before, but she did not tremble. She had already resolved herself. If anyone barred her way, she would return with this axe drenched in red blood.

Luri stepped into their range. But no attack came. The axe clenched in both hands hung in the air, as though it had lost its purpose. She took a few more tentative steps, but still saw no sign of an attack.

It was strange. She continued forward without lowering her guard. No one attacked her, even when she reached the gates. The apparent gatekeepers showed no hostility toward her. If anything, the sight of her had made them tense.

"Are you our... esteemed predecessor, Luri Silverwind, commander of the special mobile brigade Silver Wing, once known as the Bladed Wind?"

The guard asked respectfully. His awkward delivery of "esteemed predecessor" left him looking privately worried that he might have sounded rude. Luri answered without giving it any thought.

"I once was."

"Please forgive a junior's impertinence in asking rather than recognizing you. Your exploits are well known among those of us who came after you, but very few have seen your face—"

"Spare me the trivialities," Luri said menacingly. "Since when have Silverwind's children settled things with conversation?"

Faced with her murderous intent, the guards broke into cold sweats. Despite the freezing wind, sweat ran down their cheeks as though it had no time to cool. Dispensing with unnecessary words, they obeyed the orders they had received from above.

They opened the gates. Instead of driving the intruder away, they let her into the fortress. And that was not all.

All of Silverwind's people lined her path, kneeling with their weapons lowered to the ground. It was as though they were honoring a returning hero. They did not recognize the young Dragon Spawn maid, but they knew the name Luri of the Bladed Wind. They were obliged to pay their respects to the legend who had inspired the mobile brigade's founding and enjoyed Silverwind's favor.

Luri found the sensation strange. She remembered Goz's parting words: there was no place for her to return to. He would never grant her such honors. Perhaps that was why she felt more at ease. She thought of this not as her homeland, but as the battlefield where she would die.

* * *

Upon entering Eisenfels's inner keep, Luri saw a familiar old man's face. It was Lance Silverwind, the Dragon Spawn who had survived the longest at Silverwind's side.

"Luri..."

"It has been a long time, Lance..."

"I've heard what happened. From both Goz and Percival..."

"..."

"Our leader is waiting for you."

He stepped aside, and Luri inclined her head respectfully. She followed the long carpet until Silverwind's audience chamber came into view. The doors opened, revealing the interior. The seat where her father, Silverwind, had once sat now belonged to Goz.

The moment she caught sight of him, a cold sting brushed her cheeks. It felt as though dozens of blades had grazed her body. She walked along the carpet and stopped before him.

"So you've come." Goz did not even look at her. "Did I not make myself clear? I told you there would be no home for you to return to."

"You did."

"Then how dare you set foot here?"

"I did not come here thinking of it as home."

"... I suppose not."

Goz set down his wine cup. As the silence stretched on, Luri's heartbeat grew stronger.

"I hear you fought as a warrior in the Heinkel Kingdom."

"... Yes."

"Your achievements are certainly something to take pride in as one who bears Silverwind's blood. You must have been pleased with yourself."

Something to take pride in. How often did Goz say such things? Once, his recognition would have made her immensely happy.

"I am an incompetent warrior," Luri said. "In that battle, I nearly lost the man who is to become my lady's consort."

"..."

"Again."

Goz's face creased with displeasure. "So you ran away?"

"No. As I said, I have not come home."

"Then why?"

"I need power." Luri's eyes fixed unwaveringly on him. "The power you hold within you, Lord Goz..."

Silverwind's essence. The immense power known as the very essence of a dragon. The atmosphere froze.

"How many times did you think this over before saying it?"

"I have been thinking about it since Master Ferda's right hand was severed."

"All that deliberation, only to make a poor move..."

Goz rose from his throne. The light behind the enormous warrior cast a deep shadow over Luri.

"It is not a poor move. The desire for power is a warrior's virtue." Luri was not afraid.

"Yes, the desire for power... is one of the virtues a warrior must possess." He nodded, then looked down into her eyes. "But watching you use it as an excuse is utterly pathetic, you whelp."

His silver eyes shone with a chilling light. They seemed at once icy and blazing.

"Father's power is not a tool for hiding your weakness. You know that as well, don't you?"

"..."

"You cannot defeat me. Doesn't that mean you simply lack the resolve to end your own life and are asking me to kill you instead?"

Goz was furious. It was the greatest fury Luri had ever witnessed in her life.

"Do you have no regrets about what you are doing?" He spoke as though asking a condemned prisoner for her final words before execution.

Luri thought. They would fight. Goz would kill her. Yet something was strange.

Goz, whom she had feared so deeply, was radiating killing intent. He was trying to crush her beneath the power of their father, Silverwind. Yet strangely, she felt no fear. Luri knew why.

"None."

Luri was already dead. A corpse could not feel fear.

"Whether I defeat you or die, I will settle this today." Luri raised her axe.

* * *

The following day, in Ferda's office.

"Let's have a man-to-man talk." The knight Zed Swallow stood before Ferda, his eyes brimming with curiosity.

"... What kind of talk?"

"A talk between real men."

"Yes, but about what?"

"What else? Haven't you become a true man now?"

"...?"

This was making less sense by the second. Under Ferda's steady stare, Zed gave him his usual smarmy look and elaborated.

"You met Her Highness Valdrova in the recreation room yesterday, didn't you, Lord Regent?"

"I did."

"All night, at that?"

"Yes."

"You gazed up at the moon together, whispered sweet nothings, and stayed together until sunrise, didn't you?"

Beginning to see where this was going, Ferda answered, "I suppose?"

"You've finally taken that great leap into adulthood, Lord Regent. That's what I want to talk about."

Now he understood. "I think I know what you're imagining, but nothing of the sort happened."

"Oh, there's no need to be embarrassed. We're both men. Surely you can share a story like that?"

"Do I look embarrassed?" Ferda raised his head in annoyance.

Zed studied his face, and his own expression wilted in response. Only then did he realize that Ferda was telling the truth.

"Uh..." He tilted his head in bewilderment, then asked, "You're... nineteen this year, aren't you?"

"I am."

"Huh... A nineteen-year-old man, alone with a woman..."

Zed recalled his own nineteenth year. Even now, sparks flew whenever he met a woman's eyes; at nineteen, he had practically shot beams. Having lived through that age himself, he could not understand Ferda's behavior.

'Though considering the air he always gives off, it's not entirely incomprehensible...'

He had a gravitas that belied his age. Though much younger than Zed, he had the weighty presence of a middle-aged man.

'But then... the way he looks at Her Highness does suit his age.'

There was the freshness of an adolescent beginning to feel attraction, past the childhood stage of teasing someone he liked. Zed had seen that hot-blooded look countless times, as though Ferda was constantly fighting the urge to throw caution aside. He was a peculiar man, a teenager and a middle-aged man coexisting within him.

"... Hah." Zed gave one more needless, disbelieving laugh.

"Anything else you want to discuss?"

"Uh... I don't think so?"

"Then leave."

In truth, Zed had a great many questions. He was only holding his tongue because they might be rude. He did have that much tact.

"Whooo!"

Just then, a devil with no tact whatsoever burst into the office.

"I greet the consort of the great Aspect of Fire, the illustrious Lord Regent Ferdaaa!"

Her exaggeratedly affected delivery only made the greeting sound vulgar. Penelope's eyes gleamed with lewd, ravenous interest. It was a familiar look, much like the one Zed had worn when he entered.

"What do you want?"

"Well, I received a report that you spent no fewer than fourteen hours with Her Highness Valdrova last night, even missing the banquet held in your honor, so I've come to inquire into the circumstances. I'm gathering material to cross-check before asking Her Highness directly, so I would appreciate your full cooperation. Hehehehe...!!"

Ferda gave the drooling creature a look of contempt. "Whatever filthy thing you're imagining, it didn't happen."

"... Oh, my. How can you say that when you don't even know what I'm imagining?"

"..."

"... Really? Nothing?"

Penelope glanced at Zed. He merely shook his head in silence.

"N-no...!!" She could not contain her shock. "Uh... uh..." She spoke again in a trembling voice. "Why didn't you jump her?!"

Had she lost her mind? Zed's jaw dropped, and Ferda went rigid. Penelope did not close that gate to disaster she called a mouth.

"Does that make any sense? A fully grown man! Alone with the woman he likes, and nothing happens?! That's as absurd as sitting down to a whole feast, eating one leaf of greens, then saying you're full and telling them to clear the table!"

How strange. Such shameless insolence should have enraged him, yet his mind grew calmer instead. Wondering just how far she would take this madness, he said, "Her Highness and I are engaged. Since we have promised to marry, it is important that we take our time building our relationship."

"What kind of stuffy prude says that? That's not how young people do things these days! Act first, think later! Bodies before hearts!"

Ferda answered evenly, his expression tinged with irritation. "Her Highness is a pure and modest lady. Do not bring up such ridiculous trends."

"Then was it just a coincidence that Lady Valdrova said she was interested in sexy lingerie?!"

Ferda flinched. Before he could speak, Zed beat him to it.

"She said she was interested?"

"Not like that. She's curious, but only because she doesn't know what it is. I told her it was something you used when eating. Then she said if it was delicious, she'd like to try it sometime. She looked just like an innocent country maiden, pffk! I surrender! I surrender! I'll never get cheeky again!!"

Ferda had wrapped a shadow around Penelope's throat and strangled her. He felt as though he might weep blood. Why did this wretch have to be Valdrova's friend? Why did she have to possess the Great Demon Sitri's life vessel? If not for that, they would never have met, and he would have no reason to keep her alive. He lamented his shitty fate.

After making her suffer a suitable amount, he released her. "If all you're going to do is spout nonsense, leave. Whatever you two may think, I have no reason to do anything indecent with my fiancée right now."

"Actually, I can argue with that." He had finally shut Penelope's mouth, only for Zed to open his. "As Pepe—Penelope, I mean—said, isn't it possible that Her Highness Valdrova wants it?"

"She doesn't."

"A woman's heart isn't that simple. How can you be so sure? I've seduced dozens, and I still don't understand them."

"Are you boasting?"

"No, I'm saying you shouldn't insist you know exactly how Her Highness feels."

"..."

Zed offered his advice in a self-important tone. "Most repressed people can't properly express their desires. Even when they say they don't want something, they're really hesitating out of embarrassment."

"Hmm..."

"If you practice opening up to each other a little, you'll learn to be honest about your desires. And then... well." Zed gave him a suggestive smile and a thumbs-up.

A womanizer and a sex-crazed devil were babbling at him to be bolder about physical intimacy. Normally, he would naturally have ignored them. But Ferda began to give the idea serious thought.

'I am not Valdrova.'

However well he might understand her feelings, he could not claim to know them completely.

'I say that simply being together is enough...'

But in truth, it was not. Ferda liked talking to Valdrova. Yet one second of their hands touching meant more than several minutes and a hundred exchanged words.

Yesterday, he had told her honestly what he wanted. He had finally voiced what he had only worried might hurt her or make things awkward. And what had happened? He had been able to look properly upon her face. He had felt with his palm the face he had only imagined.

'And she touched my face, too.'

He recalled where her fingers had touched. Valdrova had followed the same path his hand had taken. She had even stopped just short of his lips, exactly as he had.

Perhaps... she wanted the same thing. If they both wanted it, would it not be all right?

He was on the verge of being won over by Zed when it happened.

#@%#@$!@$!!!

"Oh myyyy!"

A sudden shout rang out. Penelope trembled and fussed in Zed's arms.

"W-what is that?! A demonic creature? A new species?! Whatever it is, I'm hiding in the lair first!"

It was not. The sound lacked the peculiar unpleasantness of a demonic creature's cry. This was unmistakably a human shout coming from the west.

Ferda turned toward the source of the shout, which had nearly shattered his window. After casting detection and magnification spells, he pinpointed its exact origin. Once he saw who it was, he said, "... Your argument just fell apart."

"What? What do you mean?"

Ferda gestured with his chin toward Hestia village below. Zed could see what he had seen.

Before the village gates sat a woman astride a white horse. She was King Heodret's loyal knight: a swordmaster and the female general known as Mountainbreaker. She was shouting,

"ZED SWALLOWWW!!! TAKE RESPONSIBILITYYYY!!!"

The shout sent a chill straight down the spine.