memory ; a resolution

[toxicate]

from here and here.
cw; dismemberment


Mordalion opened his mouth.
His first words at this long-awaited moment, just what kind of heavy words would they be?

“You’ve gotten old.”

Obscudeid could not help but give a wry smile.

“It is what it is. Don’t compare me to you.”

“Even your hairline’s looking a bit suspicious.”

“It isn’t.”

Although he was aware that his facial features had changed over the years, he did not think that his hair had changed all that much. In spite of this, he spoke in an unexpectedly forceful tone.
Mordalion seemed to sense this as well, and bowed his head neatly with a “I’m sorry.”

“……You haven’t changed.”

Not just his appearance, but also his movements, his tone, everything else had remained the same.
It was like only a few days had passed since that day. Such a foolish delusion crossed Obscudeid’s mind.
With a casual gesture that gave no sense of any ill will, Mordalion pointed to the silver hair ornament Obscudeid was holding.

“Why do you have that? It should have been in Radylina’s possession.”

The hair ornament was a fashion accessory-type positioning device developed by the Shadow Paladin’s Fourth Knight Order.
They were used to track the movements of targets, and some devices could collect not only location information but also audio.
Disguised as a simple accessory, they would be handed over to the subject of investigation, then used for surveillance.
That was likely how it originally ended up in Thegrea’s hands. The Fourth Knight Order would not hesitate to bug the leader of the Royal Paladin’s Second Knight Order if they had a reason to do so.
From there, perhaps it fell into Radylina’s hands by chance──or so Obscudeid speculated.
Mordalion must have been surprised when he received audio information about Radylina’s surroundings from the positioning device, considering that the wanted criminal Obscudeid just happened to be there.
There was no doubt that he had flown over here from Keter Sanctuary, raring to go, before Radylina and Obscudeid could leave.
He was the Shadow Paladin’s target.
As such, upon hearing the alert about the invading adult, Obscudeid left Rorowa and the others, but──
Why was he being reproached for having Radylina’s positioning device?

“Isn’t this what you wanted?”

“No.”

A denial before Obscudeid could finish speaking.

“I tracked their location with the intention of protecting Rorowa. I don’t want to have to deal with you either, but I also can’t ask any of the lower-ranking members to do it. I was going to let Thegrea do it. I give the information, and Thegrea defeats you. That was what we agreed on, but when I got here……”

Obscudeid interrupted Mordalion as he continued to reproach him.

“Thegrea’s here?”

“That foolishly honest woman came in from the front. And here we are now.”

The shrill alert continued to ring.

“Are you alone? The reports said that you were currently following the orders of a Cyberoid called Eva.”

“Yeah.”

“And that she’s a cute impish gal.”

“……That was in the report?”

“No, it is what I imagine she is like. Was I right?”

“…………”

Obscudeid was silent.
Rather than impish, she quite literally was a devil, but it would be too much of a pain to correct him.

“If that’s your type then Thegrea had no chance. Oh right, listen to the nickname they gave me. It’s ‘Leader of the Shadow Paladin’s Fourth Knight Order, Mordalion of Silence’.”

“……You’re ‘silence’?”

He could not believe his ears.

“There’s no else out there who says whatever they want as much as you do.”

“I know, right? Such senseless taste.” Mordalion shrugged.

“Who’s the Deputy Leader?”

With Obscudeid gone, naturally his position was filled by Mordalion, who had been his Deputy Leader. But when it came to who became the new Deputy Leader, there was not anyone who immediately came to mind.

“It was Genics, who joined after you left, and then... Awnfar as well.”

“Aah, he’s qualified.”

The Monitoring Ravener, Awnfar.
He used crow High Beasts, which have eyesight five times that of Humans, to monitor targets.
His abilities were symbolic of the intelligence unit that was the Fourth Knight Order, and in terms of personality, he had a strong sense of responsibility, even amongst the individualistic Fourth Knight Order. He would have been well suited to be the Deputy Leader.
But there must have been one problem.

“But he hates fighting, doesn’t he? How are things going?”

Awnfar was proud of his intelligence abilities but he disliked missions that required combat.
Therefore, he must have chosen to be a Shadow Paladin instead of a Gold Paladin or Royal Paladin which would have entailed actual combat.
When Obscudeid was there, Awnfar was just a regular member, so it was not a problem, but would it not be a little insincere for the Deputy Leader to not show up at the scene?
However, Mordalion shook his head.

“We’re missing an armament for our Deputy Leader, so it isn’t a problem. Genics takes care of battle commands.”

“……aah, I see.”

Of the armaments that should belong to the Fourth Knight Order, one was in the hands of their former leader, Obscudeid, which was why they were missing one.

“However, if the armament were to be returned, Awnfar might be demoted from Deputy Leader. I don’t think he will mind……but I get along well with him so it would be shame.”

With a sigh, Mordalion raised his warped sword.

“──By the law of the heavens.”

Reflected in those calm, gardenia-coloured eyes were his former superior and mentor, Obscudeid.

“Obscudeid, former Leader of the Shadow Paladin’s Fourth Knight Order, shall hereby be executed for the murder of the late Girard, Leader of the Royal Paladin’s Second Knight Order, and the theft of a Blaster Armament.”

With that cold, emotionless pronouncement, Obscudeid understood it all.
Mordalion knew everything.
Even though he knew, he said nothing and quietly carried out his duties──even now, he was fulfilling them.
Although he understood that it was out-of-place, the words flowed out.

“You have my thanks, Mordalion of Silence.”

Mordalion was a little taken aback.

“This is the first time you’ve ever thanked me.”

Was that so? Aah, maybe it was.
Obscudeid thought that there could not have been a more fitting time for it other than now.

When Mordalion met Obscudeid, Obscudeid was a new recruit and Mordalion was the captain of a squad.
It was not usual for him to see new recruits improve their skills and rise the ranks “in an instant”.
They had a different sense of time.
Like Thegrea, Mordalion had spent a long time in professions other than that of a knight.
To have a long lifespan was to have the ability to fail. Mordalion had tried many professions, and after many failures, finally found the profession of knight.
But humans were different.
The period of time in which they were suited for physical labour was very short, and in that short time they had to devote themselves to honing their skills and gaining status.
Unlike Mordalion and Thegrea, they had no time to drift about life, and they cast their lives on a single decision. It only made sense that they could grow stronger in the blink of an eye.
What a proud way to live!
And Mordalion had no desire whatsoever to emulate such behaviour.
In all honestly, he was fine with being a captain who led a few men.
He had a decent number of subordinates, the work was not too difficult, he could take time off, and he was at high enough a position that he would not feel embarrassed telling his family, so he felt that this was good enough.
And yet.
With time, the recruit became Mordalion’s superior officer, and would occasionally nag him──or rather give him advice.

“You don’t need to try improve your swordsmanship.”

When Mordalion heard that, he wondered what this man was talking about and seriously questioned Obscudeid’s sanity.
The knights of the Shadow Paladin’s Fourth Knight Order, who erased their presence and lurked in the shadows as they conducted espionage activities, took upon the “Undercover” alias.
Due to its unique nature, the abilities of its members varied widely. Unlike the “elite” Royal Paladin, for which graduation from a military academy was a prerequisite for joining, the Shadow Paladin did not require one to be a military academy graduate.
As a result, the members’ backgrounds were very diverse, so they could hardly be described as flawless honour students. The same went for Mordalion.
Even so, Mordalion was a knight. The years he had spent studying swordsmanship exceeded the age Obscudeid was at the time.
It was only natural that he felt a resistance bordering on disgust when he was told not to seek improvement in his swordsmanship.
And so, he ignored those words as he saw fit while pretending to listen. He was pretty good at thinking about other things while keeping up a serious expression.
Nevertheless, Obscudeid grumbled.

“You should analyse and improve your special skills.”
“Focus on creating an advantageous position for yourself.”

He really was annoying.
And when the very same Obscudeid nominated him to be the deputy leader, his first response was, “No.”
The next was, “Is that head of yours okay?”
Obscudeid let out a heavy heavy sigh, as if lamenting the end of the world.
Judging from the “serious” atmosphere, it seemed that he could not refuse, but there was a reason for the insults.
It was an objective fact that at the time, there were several knights in the Shadow Paladin’s Fourth Knight Order who had greater combat prowess than Mordalion. There was no rationality in pushing them aside and choosing Mordalion to be the deputy leader. If he really was serious about it, one had to question his state of mind.
Unless──

“Did you actually fall for me?”

He had only gotten halfway through when he was met by a heavy sigh, so it seemed his stupid quiz answer had been wrong.
Soon he learnt why he had been chosen to be the deputy leader.
There existed 30 Mass Production-Type Blaster Armaments in Keter Sanctuary.
Among these, the sword given to the deputy leader, Mordalion, was one that was highly selective of its wielder.
The blade craved potent poison; with the poison it consumed being stored within the sword as power. If neglected, it would become nothing more than a bizarrely curved, dull blade.
There was no one better suited to wield this sword than Mordalion, who knew poison better than anyone else.

Mordalion held his warped sword to the ground.
A thick mucus dripped from the tip of the blade and fell to the concrete ground. A poisonous fog filled the air from the melted area, staining it a dark purple.
From its closed off innards, a poison-tinged tentacle appeared, wrapped in a swirling haze.
The poison that Mordalion continued to pour into the sword concentrated inside it, taking on a grotesque form. This giant octopus, dripping with potent poison, was the fruit of the poison that had been poured into it.
The former wielder had named it as such──’Poison Eater’.
Mordalion of Silence lurked in the shadows, killing his targets in silence. Even in these past 11 years, he could count the number of times he had used this power with his fingers.

“────!!”

The ultrasonic-like song caused the earth to tremble violently.
Freed after such a long time, the giant octopus wriggled in joy. However, the time for play was short. There was a toy here that was far greater than leisurely idling.
──A perfect poison so strong that it even melted silence.
The giant octopus wriggled its twisted tentacles and attacked Obscudeid.
It would be difficult for a person to predict or even respond to Mordalion’s random attacks which had no basis on his will.
Meanwhile, a light exhale left Obscudeid’s mouth.
The man glared at the deceiving spirit which would warrant a physiological aversion. In his hand was a greatsword as big as himself, one that an ordinary person would never be able to even swing.
He faced the rushing swarm of tentacles and swung his sword across them.

Grrrrah!

A slash that seemed like an embodiment of destruction tore through the air and advanced.
Before the poisonous tentacles could even reach the man’s body, they were severed and fell with a bubbling sound.

“Haah,” Mordalion let out a blatant sigh. “Could you please not just intercept them normally? I’m also trying to go for the kill.”

Incidentally, this was a technique that he learnt after Obscudeid left, so it would have been that man’s first time seeing it.
But it seemed his complaints were not getting through either.
Obscudeid had a serious look on his face as he stared straight at the tentacles that had lost their shape on the ground, turning into a poisonous bog.

“It was a good technique. No one has been able to master that sword to this extent before.”

“……You know, sometimes consoling someone hurts them instead.”

Haah, another sigh.
Obscudeid was 35 or 36 this year. It was a pretty good age for a Human.
When he told Obscudeid he had aged, Mordalion was being serious, and with how he had aged, Mordalion had hoped that his skills had declined considerably.
There had been a report that stated that Obscudeid defeated Thegrea, but he ignored it, optimistically assuming that it was just the weakness of being in love that was at work.
But,

“You’re still pretty strong.”

“……Is that flattery?”

“No. You know I don’t do flattery.”

“But you’re the leader? You’re still like this?”

Mordalion was in deep thought as he ignored Obscudeid’s scolding.
It was a mistake to try to confront this man head on.
As Obscudeid once pointed out (and it pained him to admit it), Mordalion’s strength lay not in his swordsmanship, but in his judgement that allowed him to turn situations to his poison’s advantage.
In comparison, Obscudeid’s strength was in the heavy blows he could deliver with his tough physique and his incredible durability. Unlike Mordalion, it was a straightforward mass of “power” that did not require any strategy. In close combat, Mordalion would likely be defeated in less than five minutes.
Which was why he had decided to leave Obscudeid to be Thegrea’s opponent.
It was a pretty clever strategy, pitting one muscular idiot against another.
At least it would have been.
Given Obscudeid’s strong sense of responsibility, this wretched situation may have been predictable.
If Thegrea were to arrive soon, he would be motivated to hold Obscudeid off until then, but in the reality was that it was impossible to tell how long that would take. It probably would not be a good idea to continue confronting the man head-on like this.
And so, with a calm mind, Mordalion decided to disappear.
Fortunately, this amusement park had plenty of cover. Mordalion’s ability to conceal his presence was top-class within the Order, and there was no better place to hide than here.

“──Hah!”

Mordalion swung his sword, causing a fine cloud of poison to spread from the blade like a smokescreen.
Of course, he did not think that this would do any damage to Obscudeid.
As long as it could just snatch some of the man’s vision away, then it was good enough for Mordalion.
The cheap trick was a success.
Mordalion hid himself in the ferris wheel, which stood out the most in the amusement park. From a distance it just looked like something that spun around, but upon closer inspection one would see that it was spinning incredibly fast.
While a typical ferris wheel would take 10 to 20 minutes to complete a revolution, this one did so in less than 1.
The sign in front of it had the simple name “High Speed ​​Ferris Wheel” written on it.
Having hidden away inside a red gondola on that ferris wheel after running away, Mordalion was deep in thought.
It was best for him to leave the amusement park for now and go protect Rorowa and Radylina. If they were to encounter Thegrea, things would be bad.
Certainly, Radylina was a skilled individual, but she stood no chance against Thegrea. Even though she was a traditional Dragon Empire Dragritter, the position of a Royal Paladin leader was not cheap enough to lose against immature girl.
In all honesty, it did not really matter if Radylina got killed. He could not care less. However, he wanted to avoid getting Rorowa killed.
The extent of his power was unknown, and it was unclear whether he would be of any benefit to Keter Sanctuary, but the title of “World Tree“ was reason enough to do everything in his power to protect Rorowa.
Was it about 27 and a half seconds since the gondola had left the ground? It should soon reach its peak.
Mordalion peered through a tiny gap between the exterior and the door to see what was going on in the zoo.
And in that moment, an unidentifiable chill ran down his spine.
Before he could think on it, Mordalion clung to the wall of the gondola.
Just to the side of him, a black-dyed slash shot out from the ground, barely brushing past his hair.

Rrrip!

With a thunderous roar, the iron gondola was sliced ​​vertically in half.
The side without Mordalion, fell victim to the free fall, crashing far below into the ground where it was miserably crushed.

“……Huh?!”

Of course, it would not stop with just a single slash.
A second and third slash followed, chopping up the ferris wheel into pieces, like the pruning of a tree.
The ferris wheel would not be able to withstand such attacks.
Screech……
The steel frame creaked dully as if in a final resistance──a futile one, and the ferris wheel split in half down its centre, making a roaring noise as it fell forward.
First the merry-go-round, then the coffee cups, then the go-karts. One by one, the fun-filled attractions get caught up and crushed.
The gondola in which Mordalion had been hiding in fell to the ground, its momentum shattering the concrete. A plume of dust spurted out from below, obscuring the carnage, and enshrouding the surroundings.
Eventually──
Parting the thick dust, Obscudeid appeared.

“…………”

With a blank expression, he ripped off the bent iron door of the gondola and threw it sideways.
However, Mordalion was not within it.
All that remained in the warped metal were a few strands of hair that had apparently been cut off by the slash.
The man raised his face and slowly turned his neck.
When he had begun his battle with Mordalion, no one other than Bravyloss had been around, but now the commotion had caused the toys, who had chased the intruders, to return in a panic.

“────!”
“──,────!”

Obscudeid walked slowly past the group, who were all in an uproar over the catastrophe they had just witnessed.
The toys tried to question Obscudeid about what happened, but the usual atmosphere the man exuded froze them silent.
Obscudeid paid them no heed.
Mordalion’s faint presence was something that no ordinary person could ever find, nor was it something they should be able to find. It was like searching for a grain of sand in the sea.
As the man sharpened his senses and followed the presence, he heard a clear, almost mocking voice from his right.
Perhaps the recording environment was poor, or perhaps the speakers were broken, as the sound was very distorted, but it was definitely Mordalion’s voice.

“……People tend to dislike us for no reason. So, I feel like we really do need to improve our image.”

“It’s unnecessary.”

Obscudeid could not help but make a comment in return as he headed onwards, a dock with boats coming into view. The sound seemed to be leaking out from the small covered waiting area adjacent to it.

“And, in order to help people get to know us better, we’ll be creating voice introductions for each member.”

“……A covert unit shouldn’t be making self-introductions.”

He kicked on the wooden door and walked in.
The sound was from directly above. A deformed rubber rabbit curio was attached to the door frame, with the chattering coming from its abdomen.

“The first speaker is our Deputy Leader, Awnfar──oi wait, I just bought this yesterday, don’t throw it,”

A destructive sound echoed, as if something has been slammed into something. Apparently Awnfar had resorted to force to prevent this.

“A wise choice.”

Before Obscudeid could show his exasperation, the rubber curio abruptly began to swell.
It was a trap.
Before Obscudeid could turn around, the swollen curio popped with a snap.
A murky green liquid gushed out.

“……!”

Obscudeid used his greatsword as a shield to deflect the splashes, but it was impossible to completely block it all.
A foul-smelling venom invaded his body through his exposed skin──

Mordalion watched from high above.

“Well, he probably won’t die from that.”

Muttering to himself, Mordalion hugged his knees and slumped in his seat in the foetal position. The coaster he was on board continued to slide along at high speed.
It was a ride called the “Scary Puzzle Roller Coaster”.
Although the name sounded scary, the coaster itself was actually quite ordinary, with about 10 small, two-seater carriages in two rows connected together. The only slightly unusual thing about it was that each seat had a round, transparent exterior.
The steel rail tracks ran all the way around the “Land of Toys”.
It was a very basic coaster that started from a boarding and alighting point on the ground, rising to a height similar to the top of a ferris wheel, then descended, using its momentum to make repeated sharp turns and spins.
The reason why such an “overly ordinary” play equipment existed in this strange “Land of Toys” was because of “puzzle manufacturing”.

Incidentally, here was how they made the puzzles.
1. Place a plain white puzzle into the seat and close the exterior.
2. Start the coaster.
3. The plain white puzzle turns “completely blue” from the fear of the coaster.
4. The coaster arrives, and it is complete!

It seemed that the exterior was there to prevent the puzzle from flying off the coaster.
While the carriages themselves were fairly standard, the coaster’s rails were fitted with pop-out swords and grotesque-looking gargoyles to add some fright to the puzzles.

“Bero bero bah~!”

With the gargoyles drawing close, Mordalion remained in hiding within the vehicle.
The poison that the trap sprayed on Obscudeid was not a weak one like the one that was used on Thegrea, but rather a poison that was capable of stopping the heart through skin contact.
A single drop would last 100 seconds while even just three drops were enough to make you lose consciousness on the spot and never reawaken.
Or at least, that would be the case normally.
Before becoming a knight, Mordalion worked as a toxicology researcher at the Great Nature University. He prided himself on knowing more about poison than anyone else in the Knight Order. Naturally, he had memorised the effects and lethal doses of each kind.
With some exceptions, all living things should die against that sort of dosage.
Unfortunately, the Human known as Obscudeid was one of those exceptions.
When Obscudeid was his superior, Mordalion once poisoned him for nagging too much. However, even after taking twice the lethal dosage, that man merely grimaced as if he had an upset stomach.
In other words, Obscudeid was Mordalion’s worst enemy.
Obscudeid himself was aware of his own resistance to poison, which was probably why he ran into what was an obvious trap.
It was as if he had gotten himself poisoned out of an obligation for earlier. Perhaps he took Mordalion’s complaint of “Don’t just intercept them normally” to heart?
That said, this would be the only time, he would not fall for any more traps.
So, what now?
Since Mordalion does not have any projectile weapons like guns, it was difficult for him to attack from a long distance. And there was little hope for using traps either. Poison Eater could also be used in mid-range combat, but obviously he wanted to avoid coming close.

(……I guess there’s no other way about it.)

As Mordalion rested his chin on his knees, he heard the sound of a bell ringing from above his head. The coaster had departed on its second lap.
He tried to challenge Obscudeid without any luck, and in the end, it really was better to just retreat and let Thegrea fight him instead of just showing off. If he told her where Obscudeid was, he had no doubt her eyes would flare up and she would rush there.
Okay, that’ll be the plan.
Better to act quick and get off the coaster. Currently, the coaster was ascending. The fastest way off would be to jump off it when it reached its lowest point.
Mordalion uncrossed his knees and peeked out of the coaster.
The tall dome covering the “Land of Toys” was illuminated by a blue sky, giving the impression that you really were outside on a bright sunny day.
The sight of the ferris wheel falling over below seemed so unrealistic, like looking at a poorly made painting from above.
In the midst of this peaceful scenery, there was a hint of a black foreign object.

“……Hmm?”

Looking over, he saw Obscudeid rushing towards him on the roller coaster rails.
Even Mordalion could not help laughing at such a sight.

“Is he for real?”

A knight in heavy armour raced at breakneck speed along the rails, dodging gargoyles and ghosts.
It was a pretty amusing sight if he ignored the fact that it was to kill him.
But since it was to kill him, Mordalion suppressed his laughter.
Even though it was currently ascending, it was a roller coaster in the “Land of Toys”, so it was probably still going at around 50km/h. There was no way an average Human could catch up, nor would they even try following the rails to do so.
This exception to “common sense”, Obscudeid, was rapidly approaching the coaster.

“Just how fast are you? Can’t you be normal for once.”

Of course, these complaints went unheard.
Soon, it reached the peak.
Once it started sliding down, the coaster’s speed would exceed 200 km/h. Even the inhuman Obscudeid would not be able to keep up.
Would the coaster start its descend first, or would Obscudeid catch up first──

“I should make it, but,”

The man easily exceeded the optimistic, half-prayer prediction.
He kicked at the rails with explosive force. Despite his enormous body and giant sword, he seemed to have no weight whatsoever as he pushed aside the air and flew towards the coaster.
──Landing.
Goong!
The rear of the coaster sunk with a loud noise, and the front rose up in response. The carriage Mordalion was riding in slammed into the rails with a bang.
Still, the coaster did not stop, and it finally reached its peak.
For an instant, all the surrounding noise disappeared, and only a gust of wind roared.
His jet-black hair fluttered about.
The sharpness of the shining eyes that lay behind it would cause all living beings to feel an instinctive fear. One would tremble at the ferocity, the fury, the rage.
That was all wrong. And Mordalion knew it.
The dark glint in his eyes was neither anger nor hate. It was the very ordinary “will” to extend one’s everyday life. Kill Mordalion so that you can live through tomorrow. A determination as constant as breathing.

(……If he just put a little bit of effort into things, it would be worth it.)

Sure enough, he felt a floating sensation in his stomach, and the coaster began to plummet.
With their hair blowing upwards, Mordalion and Obscudeid faced off on the ultrafast coaster.
It seemed that the poison from earlier has some effect. From left side of Obscudeid’s neck to his cheek was inflamed, as if the skin had been pulled away.
But that was all there was. It would heal over in three days. What a monster.
The man opened in his mouth.

“……It was a good poison.”

“Can you not say that like you’re talking about the temperature of a bath. I by all means wanted you dead.”

“Sorry about that.”

He definitely did not feel apologetic about it.

“Your jokes are always unfunny.”

“……I don’t want hear that from you.”

“Hmm.”

That was true. He had a point.
However, he had no time to apologise.
Obscudeid pulled out the greatsword he had thrusted into the coaster. The tip reflected the light and shone a dull black. The man imposingly swung his sword over his shoulders and slashed at Mordalion.
Oouh!
The slash’s howling resembled the roar of a beast.
The distance was 10 metres, there was no way it could be avoided.

“……!”

Mordalion received the slash with the warped sword he held in both hands.
The deflected slash exploded in the opposite direction, smashing several of the coaster’s supports.
──This was bad.

“Mmm.”

He muttered to himself, but it was already too late. Without its supports, the coaster lost its balance and began to shake violently along the rails.
They were already plummeting, but the shaking on top of it made this a disaster. Even Obscudeid seemed unable to launch a second attack from his precarious footing, and was treading lightly.
Now was Mordalion’s chance.
But if he leapt into the air, he would be struck down by slash from behind. An Elf fillet. The seasoning should be simple: salt and mixed spices.
He could jump onto another attraction as they passed by and hide there.
It was not a bad idea, but Obscudeid seemed wary of that. While focusing 80% of his concentration on Mordalion, he kept remaining 20% on their surroundings.
This was likely to allow for a quick pursuit if Mordalion tried escaping.
Who would be better, Mordalion lurking in the shadows, or Obscudeid pursuing him──

“Hmm.”

After such rumination, Mordalion found himself annoyed.
Obscudeid was a man who was often misunderstood because he was unsociable and did not speak when needed, but Mordalion thought of him as a highly capable superior officer. This was evident not only in his ability to carry out his duties, but also in the development of his subordinates.
For Thegrea, who had outstanding physical abilities, it would be swordsmanship and martial arts.
For Mordalion, whose special skills were prominent, it would be covert actions and poison.
What annoyed Mordalion the most was that Obscudeid, who had a keen eye for people, thought that he would run away in this situation.
And most of all, he was annoyed at himself for trying to act in the way Obscudeid had predicted.
While he fumed, it seemed his missed his opportunity.
The coaster descended and then began to rise again. Obscudeid raised his greatsword, standing as if he had taken root.

“──It’s over.”

There would be no hope of it being a half-hearted blow that could be blocked by Mordalion’s warped sword.
It was an unparalleled technique that had determined Obscudeid’s life as a knight in a single stroke. A pinnacle of swordsmanship that crushed any cheap trick to escape with sheer force.
Their difference in strength was clear.
Therefore, Obscudeid did not think that Mordalion would purposely get in his way.
It was unthinkable.

──So, he stepped in.

The 11 years had passed in a blink of an eye.
Was Thegrea the only who had devoted herself to improving?
No.
Give up on sword fights that require physical strength. Leave that sort of thing to those muscle-brained guys.
What Mordalion sought was lethal flash so fast that even the sound would lag behind.

“You don’t need to try improve your swordsmanship.”

Since he either ignored or accepted what he had been told naggingly, that man probably did not know.
Mordalion was a cynical person by nature. It was not that he had a high sense of pride, but rather that he was a contrarian who wanted to rebel when told otherwise.
He had been waiting to say this for such a long time.

──My swordsmanship isn’t worthless after all, now is it?

It happened in an instant, less than a blink of an eye.
Mordalion's sword shot towards Obscudeid, closing in on him.
The jagged blade was swung up from below and caught Obscudeid. The sword rose straight up to the sky from
Obscudeid's left side.

With a dull metallic sound, something fell from the sky.
The scent of iron --
Obscudeid's arm rolled along the ground.