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First and foremost, I had solidified my strategy.

I used to rely more on technique and speed rather than sheer strength in combat.

But recently, I had begun to become more aggressive.

It was a kind of transition phase.

After all, I was still just a boy.

To stand against robust knights, I had no choice but to depend on skill rather than brute force.

However, things had changed now. My swordsmanship had become too destructive to rely solely on skill.

The power that devoured not only my enemies but also myself.

Ever since I learned how to properly wield sword aura, even Edwin could not carelessly counter my sword strikes.

It was a force honed with extreme killing intent. Aggressive like a famished beast, there was no match for it in terms of simple destructive power or force.

“If your power burdens your body, then just don’t use it for long. Practice using sword aura only when necessary. Otherwise, aim for a quick, decisive battle.”

“It’s not that obedient to turn on and off at will. I’ll give it a try, but it probably won’t work.”

“Then you’ll have to learn to end it quickly.”

A quick, decisive battle.

Like Razen in the novel, my swordsmanship transformed to heighten its aggressiveness.

It was a form that forced my opponent to bleed, at the cost of giving up some defense.

And I changed my sword.

It was a much larger straight sword than what I used to wield. The blade was about half as long again, and its width was nearly a span.

To exaggerate a bit, it was the size of a greatsword, though I could still manage to swing it with one hand.

I had to use my shoulder and back muscles together, so my movements became larger. But with a larger blade to channel the sword aura through, its destructive power was doubled.

“In that case, wouldn’t it be better to just use a greatsword? I don’t see why you need to wield this with one hand.”

“If you grip the sword with both hands, do you plan to cast holy spells by putting the sword down? I guess you’ll need to find polite enemies who will wait while you form hand seals.”

“Using sword aura as a holy knight feels kind of funny. I can’t quite imagine it.”

“That’s not something you need to worry about. What’s important is that you, even as a swordmaster, accepted holiness. It’s rare for a holy knight to become a swordmaster, but the opposite is even rarer. Since you’ve been blessed, it would be a waste not to use it.”

Just as true mage swordsmen were rare, so were holy knights who used sword aura.

Usually, swordmasters were bodies that couldn’t use magic or holiness, and even if they could, it was often to a minimal extent.

There were instances where holy knights reached a high level through training, but their pure swordsmanship was generally weaker than other swordmasters.

However, I received holy blessings after becoming a swordmaster.

Although I was somewhat lacking, it was an unprecedented event significant enough to be recorded in history books.

With this, my growth potential was fundamentally different from other holy knights.

“I assure you, this is an unprecedented event. If you don’t settle for mediocrity, the world will soon revere you.”

“Even if you suddenly praise me like that, I have nothing to give you.”

“I don’t need anything. As I’ve always said, just support the Saintess well. Also, help expand the faith while you’re at it.”

“I’ll do that without being told.”

To me, Edwin was the perfect sparring partner.

Having someone to exert my full strength against without worry was rare. In typical sparring, I had to hold back to avoid injuries.

But with Edwin, there was no such concern. He was far stronger than I was, an overwhelming force whose origin I couldn’t fathom.

Even at full strength, I had no fear of injuring him, and he even provided guidance.

Thanks to him, my skills were improving rapidly.

Every time I unleashed a full-force strike, I adjusted my sword technique, refining it with each exchange of blows.

Sometimes, I tried to imitate Edwin’s swordplay, and at other times, I aggressively encroached on his techniques.

“It’s best if you give up on trying to copy me. It’s not something you can easily mimic.”

“I feel like I could get the hang of it if I keep trying.”

“It’ll be tough.”

“But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible, right?”

I clearly distinguished between what was possible and what wasn’t.

Just because I decided not to rely on technique didn’t mean I was abandoning it entirely.

There’s a clear difference between choosing not to use something and being unable to use it.

And so, day by day,

I swung my sword with Edwin for hours.

Surprisingly, he sparred with me as much as I wanted.

* * *

Melissa bowed her head politely.

“There’s still some time before the ceremony begins, Saintess. In the meantime, would you like to greet the others?”

“Thank you. I’ll be there shortly.”

In front of the only temple within the sanctuary,

the deep night had settled over the temple.

Several lanterns hung in front of the gray temple.

The crimson light from the lanterns rippled like waves over Sirien’s silver hair. Under the ethereal glow, her hair was more beautifully arranged than usual.

Her side hair was neatly braided and tied back, and her well-combed locks cascaded down to her waist.

Melissa placed a black veil over Sirien’s head.

The translucent veil spread wide over her back.

The black fabric covered half of her delicate face. From my angle, I could only see Sirien’s lips.

Sirien smiled slightly.

Having seen that face for so long, I could tell. It was a fake smile.

She was forcing herself to smile to hide her trembling emotions.

“They say the ceremony will take quite a while. About a month.”

“I’ll wait outside. If it gets too hard, you can give up.”

“I’m not giving up. What do you take me for?”

Sirien grinned mischievously.

Thankfully, this time, it was a genuine smile.

Unlike the shabby clothes she wore after leaving the castle, Sirien was now properly dressed in the robes of a saintess.

The pitch-black silk, like the night sky itself, softly wrapped around her body.

Through the wide sleeves, I could see the evening gloves she wore, with one finger hooked through.

So, when I held her hand, I could feel both the silk and her skin at the same time.

-Haa.

I heard her take a deep breath.

“Razen, this might sound strange all of a sudden, but do you remember my cousins who were at the castle with us?”

“Of course, I remember. You were worried about them even when we went to the cabin.”

Several branch families of Eilencia were staying at Rehaim Castle.

Sirien cared deeply for the younger cousins from those branch families.

She had never considered social status when forming attachments.

Even when her own life was in danger, she was more concerned about her younger cousins.

Sirien’s hand squeezed mine tightly.

There was a desperation in her grip, like someone clinging to a branch at the edge of a cliff.

I wondered what she was about to say that made her hesitate so much, but what came out of her mouth was completely unexpected.

“Those kids... Could you kill them if I asked you to?”

“Even the children of Count Roxen?”

“Yes. All of them. Some of them might be the ones you’re close with. If I asked you to kill them too, could you do it?”

I couldn’t answer immediately. There were a few faces that came to mind, and I needed a moment.

But ultimately, my conclusion was the same.

“If you wish it.”

“…Thank you. I needed to ask, even if just once.”

“Why so suddenly?”

“When you were asleep, I sent some people out to gather information. They returned today.”

Sirien nodded towards the side of the temple.

Two robust priests bowed their heads. Though I couldn’t see their faces well, their builds were unfamiliar.

These must have been the ones who had gone out.

Sirien bit her lip slightly.

She looked as though she was about to say something she didn’t want to. She sighed briefly.

“It seems Count Roxen is quite capable. I sent one person to the Grand Duchy, and they said everything seemed peaceful as if nothing had happened. At least, that’s how it appeared on the surface. But from my perspective… it’s likely there was already a bloodbath.”

“So, they’ve been preparing for a long time. They anticipated this and planned thoroughly for what would come after.”

“Yes. It seems finding allies within the family will be difficult now.”

The people in this forest couldn’t have suddenly brought back such secret information from within the family.

So, they must have only brought back what was visible on the surface. But even just from what they heard, there were things we could infer.

Count Roxen had already seized control of the Grand Duchy.

Considering the time we spent in the cabin and wandering in this forest, it was not surprising.

He was competent. He would have perfectly planned the aftermath long before successfully leading the rebellion.

Even if we returned to the Grand Duchy now, we wouldn’t have any allies within the family.

If there were any, they would be very few or already dead.

This meant that if my beloved cousins were alive now, they could be our enemies.

They might have been accomplices from the beginning.

Sirien seemed to lean towards the likelihood that they were traitors from the start.

“And before we go to the Marquisate of Elloran, we have something to do. The old marquis died of illness. Now the young marquis is waiting to succeed.”

“Are we changing our destination entirely?”

“For a while. We’ll visit eventually. We’ll keep heading northeast. There’s something we need to take care of there.”

“What is it?”

Sirien came close to me. She stood on her tiptoes, and I bent one knee to match her height.

Soon, our foreheads touched, and I heard her whisper.

“This one order alone is not enough. Let’s gather people who will become our strength.”

From the streets.

Those who, like us, were abandoned by someone and wounded.

Those who, having endured terrible pain, had turned into blind beasts.

A month later,

Sirien successfully completed the ceremony.

And four years passed.

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