A few days had passed since she revived from the Grave of the Sword.
One morning, Natida was walking through Kremperia Castle. The area around the castle had long been purified by priests and herself, free from the Phantom Territory, allowing sunlight to pour down from the sky.
As she strolled through the castle’s training grounds, knights who recognized Natida bowed their heads to her. Giving them a faint smile, Natida shook her cigarette pack in her hand.
Would you like one?
The knights smiled wryly and shook their heads, and Natida muttered a drawn-out “Eh-heh” as she lit a cigarette. Cheek, puff, she exhaled long and deeply. Spitting out the thick smoke, she gazed at her fingers.
The fingers bore traces of stitching.
Looking at the white scar tissue, Natida swallowed the smoke.
‘…It doesn’t feel real, though.’
This was the proof that she had survived.
A mark that she had lived, facing two disasters. Natida repeated a clenching and releasing of her fist. Each time her fingers bent, she savored the sharp pain and let out a long, very long sigh.
Dark smoke rising to the sky.
As she watched the smoke, the moment came to mind. The moment she became the Holy Grail, and touched both the Holy Grail and the Star Grail.
“I hope, I really do.”
She held Death’s Blade and prayed, and in response to that prayer, Death answered. From the darkness, Death approached Natida, and as its form came closer, the great sword embedded in the ground vibrated intensely.
The resonance of the sword, the Death that approached from the darkness.
In that moment, Natida saw it.
The great sword that had been thrust into the ground vibrated and created a gap. From that crevice, faint starlight seeped through. Not brilliant, but rather that which resembled soft glimmers. The starlight of the broken Holy Grail she had heard of in tales.
The place where the Holy Grail was buried was not the ruins of a temple.
The Holy Grail was buried beneath Death’s Blade.
In fact, it had been penetrated and shattered by the sword.
Whether the Holy Grail had reacted to her will, answered her prayer, or responded to Ganikalt’s presence… Natida had no way of knowing, but one thing she could be certain of.
The Holy Grail acknowledged her as its owner.
The moment the platinum starlight seeped into her body, Natida lost consciousness. When she came to, everything was over. She had already returned to Kremperia.
“Hoo…”
Exhaling deeply, Natida crushed the cigarette.
Even though everything had resolved like a miracle, she felt an inexplicable unease. The landscape she had seen in her dream lingered in her mind.
Thanks to the future she saw in her dreams, she survived.
However, the version of herself in the dream met death.
Miserably, without saving anything.
That dream was undoubtedly something that had happened. Not a mere future… but something that had already occurred. Natida was certain of it. When she shared that hypothesis with Rania, Rania did not deny Natida’s words either.
Though brief, she merely confirmed that her suspicion was likely correct.
“The world sure is something.”
Natida chuckled bitterly.
After gazing at the sunlight for a moment, she let out a short sigh. She realized why her heart felt so unsettled and uneasy.
In the future she had seen in her dream, there was one thing the future version of herself regretted. It was a small wish. A small hope that a saint, having lived as a doll of the Church for a lifetime, had harbored as she was cast into a ruined world.
But ultimately, it was a wish that could never be fulfilled.
The moment she recalled that wish, Natida couldn’t help but smirk lightly. It truly was a small wish.
‘So small that…’
It could be granted immediately. Reflecting on that wish, Natida took a step forward. It was an unusually lively step. Her eyes, no longer the blank of a drug addict, resembled those of a girl her age.
With a faint smile, she headed towards…
Lac’s office.
—
“…Shouldn’t we now call it the Ruins of the Sword instead of the Grave of the Sword?”
At the entrance of Kirmelt Canyon, Kalt stood there with a wry smile. The canyon was filled with only signs of being severed and collapsed. The form of Galatrick now looked beyond a grave for swords; it had become a ruin.
“At least there’s still a canyon left.”
As Kalt chuckled to himself, a voice came from behind. Turning around, he saw Raniel van Trias, who had arrived in Kremperia the previous night, with her arms crossed, gazing at the canyon.
“They say Ganikalt and Barta, the King of Beasts, had a fierce fight for quite a while. It’s amazing the geography didn’t change.”
Death’s Blade, Ganikalt.
Barta, the King of Beasts.
Two knights whose cuts could reshape the terrain battled here. Raniel felt a sense of awe that at least the shape of the canyon remained.
“Um, Senpai?”
“Speak.”
“Are you sure that no signals can be felt from here?”
“About half a day after you all returned to the point, the signal was cut off. Both of them disappeared.”
“So does that mean they’re both dead?”
“Not necessarily.”
Raniel unfolded a map from her possession.
A map marked with the locations of the disasters. Ganikalt had returned to Gehete, where he originally belonged…
“Ganikalt is back to Gehete. But there’s no signal at all from Barta.”
“…What does that mean?”
“It means he’s either dead, or he’s no longer a disaster, or else, he has broken free from the contract.”
Raniel sighed.
This was the reason she briefly halted the expansion of the front and made her way here. She had to verify Barta’s death.
“Let’s go inside.”
Climbing over the pile of stones at the entrance of the canyon, Raniel and Kalt entered the interior of Galatrick. Upon reaching the top of the stone pile and looking down into the canyon, Kalt involuntarily gasped.
What entered his gaze were countless sword marks.
Traces that clawed at the ground. The long, deep walls. Neatly severed piles of stones and slanted cliffs. No matter where he looked, there were only traces of wielded swords.
“Whoa…”
Kalt exhaled deeply.
Given the countless sword marks etched into the canyon and considering the power contained in each of those long lines, Kalt couldn’t help but let out a wry smile.
“Now that I think about it, it’s amazing how anyone survived. What is all this…?”
Monsters that could reshape the terrain with a single swing of their swords. The fact that he had withstood such attacks, even if just once, made Kalt glance at his own sword absentmindedly.
“Senpai.”
“Yeah.”
“Am I actually quite strong?”
A joke thrown casually.
Normally, Raniel would have chastised him for such nonsense, but this time she did not. She responded briefly.
“Why are you even asking such an obvious question?”
“…Huh?”
“Just being a superhuman is already highly strong, yet even that superhuman cannot withstand even a single blow from Barta or Ganikalt. You need to be at least on Kuntel’s level to endure even a little.”
Raniel said matter-of-factly.
“Disasters are those kinds of beings. But how many times have you survived against such beings?”
She turned around to Kalt, who was walking in front.
“Especially this time? I heard you completely withstood the sword strike. You even deflected the incoming sword energy, right? What kind of knight can perform such feats besides you?”
“Really?”
“In my eyes, you’re already at a level similar to Kuntel. If it weren’t for that Kyle guy, you could have claimed the title of the strongest knight among humankind.”
Raniel, who was particularly accurate in assessing others’ strength, said once more.
“You’re strong enough. Strong enough for me to rely on.”
Kalt blinked in surprise.
He never expected Raniel to say such words. As Kalt fumbled for words, Raniel chuckled softly and added,
“That’s why I’m giving you so much work. You’re the one who can do it. So you need to work hard.”
Kalt’s expression turned sour rapidly.
“Refund my tears of joy, please.”
“What are you talking about?”
Kalt whined a little, and Raniel smiled bitterly.
“That’s that…”
Raniel exhaled briefly.
“I truly apologize for this situation. It was clearly my mistake. I should have come from the beginning.”
“Well… I don’t specifically blame you, Senpai. Who could have foreseen such things?”
As Kalt continued walking, he suddenly placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.
“And ultimately, it all turned out well, right?”
“All turned out well, you say?”
“We retrieved the Holy Grail, which was the mission objective, and moreover… about the plans you set for the next six months?”
Kalt drew his sword.
“Growth. Awakening of the key personnel.”
The drawn sword radiated sword energy.
“Having the experience of surviving death and its crises is unmatched in guiding growth. Not to mention the invaluable experience of clashing swords with a more skilled knight.”
The sword energy shone with moonlight.
Kalt’s sword illuminated softly in the moonlight. Raniel’s eyes widened as she beheld it. This was different from the sword energy she had seen from Kalt before. It was deeper and sharper.
“Nearly died, but I survived…”
Kalt swung his sword.
The pile of stones that obstructed his path crumbled to dust upon contact with the sword energy. The path traced by the moonlight blade was nothing short of beautiful.
“This should lead to significant growth, right?”
While spinning his sword, Kalt smiled proudly.
Boasting his moonlit sword energy that surrounded his blade. At that sight, Raniel chuckled softly.
“Are you bragging to me right now? Saying you’re strong?”
“Just look at this moonlight sword energy! Isn’t it something worth boasting about? It’s so subtle…”
With a snap, Raniel flicked her finger.
As the radiant pillar of light descended with a Boom onto the debris Kalt was clearing, he slowly turned around. The piled debris vanished as if evaporating from its position. It was a broader area than what Kalt had cut through.
Crack, creak.
Turning to Kalt, who looked startled, Raniel shrugged her shoulders, feigning innocence.
“…Was that really necessary?”
“What?”
“It’s my sword? It doesn’t just recklessly demolish things like your magic, you know? I’m about flow, glancing off, and handling every strike gracefully…”
Ignoring Kalt’s protests, Raniel walked ahead. Kalt, grumbling as he followed behind her, couldn’t see it, but Raniel wore a joyful smile.
She had pulled a prank, but Raniel was all too aware of the effort Kalt underwent to achieve such heights.
As she led the way, Raniel casually remarked.
“Your sword energy is impressive.”
“Enough already. Honestly, the older you get…”
“What did you say?”
“…It’s nothing.”
Feeling a murderous intent from the brief glance back, Kalt quickly sealed his lips. He couldn’t dare mention the fact that both he and Senpai were in their thirties.
‘Why is she so sensitive about age talk anyway?’
Over the past few years, Raniel had not aged a day.
Given her unique status as a hero and her position as a great mage, she could be considered young forever—more like an eternal twenties rather than just prolonged youth through some elixir.
‘Is she just feeling guilty about it?’
He decided to leave the guessing to speculation.
It just seemed more sensible that way.
“By the way…”
Raniel blatantly changed the subject.
“What about Lac and Natida? How are they doing?”
“Are you talking about their health, or their growth? Or are you wondering about their relationship?”
“First two. And what do you mean by relationship?”
“Didn’t you know?”
“What are you talking about?”
Kalt looked at Raniel with a mix of sympathy and confusion.
His senior had earned the title of the ‘pitying mage’ for a reason. She didn’t even try to understand the subtle dynamics flowing between a man and a woman.
“…For the first two, they’re both doing well. Lac seems to be accelerating in his growth and has almost completely recovered from his injuries.”
“So what about the last one?”
“As for their relationship… well, it seems like they’re too close, and that’s a problem.”
“Too close? Isn’t that a good thing?”
Kalt wiped his eyes clear.
“Senpai.”
“Yeah.”
“What do you think it means for two young people to have a close relationship?”
Raniel blinked.
She pondered for a moment, tugging her chin.
“Ah.”
Raniel’s eyes widened.
“These reckless kids…”
Kalt had to go through quite an ordeal trying to talk her out of rushing back to Kremperia.
—
Someone knocked on the door of the office.
Lac, who was working, replied shortly for them to enter, and soon the door opened and someone stepped inside. The clack of high heels echoed as Lac lifted his head.
“…”
Upon looking up, he saw an unfamiliar figure.
Neatly combed brown hair. Eyes shimmering with a green hue. Delicate eyelashes. Natida, in a different appearance than usual, stood there.
The vacant expression in her eyes was nowhere to be found.
Gone too were the baggy priest robes she wore for convenience or loosened clothes. The fully arranged Natida took a step closer to Lac.
For the first time in half a year, Lac stood face to face with a Natida he had never seen before. Taken aback by her unfamiliar appearance, Natida smiled at him.
“Lac.”
She whispered softly.
“I came because I have something I want to tell you.”
