I Tried To Be Her Loyal Sword

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172nd Chapter

Kraaang!

Harabana roared loudly. With its large frame, thick skin, and grotesque fangs, it was quite intimidating from an objective point of view, but I wasn’t scared.

“I’ll attack Harabana’s palate. Cover me.”

Zigmund calmly readied his sword. I scoffed and stepped in front of him.

“Don’t be ridiculous. You cover me.”

This had been a frequent issue whenever we teamed up—who would attack and who would support. Both Zigmund and I had a tremendous pride in our own strength, so we always wanted to be the attacker instead of the supporter.

“I can use magic, so it’s easier for me to escape in an emergency. It’s better if I go in.”

“That’s nonsense. I’m stronger, so I’m going.”

“Huh?”

At my confident declaration, Zigmund looked at me with disbelief. Despite Harabana growling right in front of us, we continued to bicker.

“Judging by your ramblings, you seem out of your mind. Sending a lunatic into Harabana’s mouth would have a predictable result, so I’m going.”

“It’s a natural law of the universe that I’m stronger than you. Just be my support.”

Zigmund’s violet eyes narrowed in irritation. It had been a long time since I saw any human emotion in his eyes, and strangely, I felt a bit pleased that the situation wasn’t all that serious.

Kyaaak!

Was it annoyed that we were fighting in front of it? Harabana roared once more. Zigmund and I finally turned our attention to Harabana.

Paat.

Harabana, the tyrant of the deep woods, could completely disappear for a period of time. The massive monster became transparent in an instant, its aura vanishing entirely. I clicked my tongue.

“You’re so slow that it vanished.”

“What are you saying? We’re in this together…”

“Be quiet, let’s decide who will attack fairly.”

I rummaged through my pockets and smiled slyly.

“Let’s decide our attacker by tossing a coin.”

Tossing a coin in front of the fearsome Harabana! Someone witnessing this would think we were crazy, but I was serious. This wasn’t just a matter of strength; it was a matter of pride.

Zigmund sighed as he stared at the coin with his deep violet eyes.

“…I’m the tails.”

“Alright, then I’ll take the heads.”

Ching.

I flicked the coin into the air.

Pat.

As the coin spun downward, I caught it with both hands. I removed my palm that was covering it.

And what was revealed was the tails.

“Ahh!”

“It’s destiny.”

As I grumbled and grasped my head with both hands, Zigmund smirked and assumed a battle stance.

Zigmund frequently displayed his luck in trivial matters like this. I felt humiliated and wanted to drag this out into a best-of-three, but in retrospect, that would only damage his pride further. So I firmly grasped my sword in silence.

“Wrap it up quickly and come out.”

“I’ll be out much faster than you.”

‘Is this guy hoping for Harabana’s dinner?’

I suppressed the urge to smack Zigmund’s face with the hilt of my sword and shove him down Harabana’s throat. An ominous feeling stirred inside me. Even when I couldn’t sense his presence, my instincts as a Sword Master were detecting danger.

The moment Zigmund and I held our breath, the snowy plains felt eerily still, like the calm before a storm.

While I was tensed up, preparing for an incoming attack—

A massive mouth opened above me with a loud yawn.

Just as its jaw was closing, I rolled away quickly to avoid getting eaten and unleashed a black aura from my sword towards Harabana’s torso. The crescent-shaped aura flew with wild momentum.

Swish!

Black blood erupted from Harabana’s body, a sight I was all too accustomed to, providing me with no particular thrill. Immediately, I held my breath against the foul stench that pricked my nostrils.

‘I’ve improved since I last faced Harabana.’

I smiled proudly at the significant wound I had caused. Although it was nearly impossible to pierce through Harabana’s extremely thick skin in one go, the power of my aura was enough to accomplish that.

“I’ll finish it before Harabana can turn invisible again! Get ready to enter!”

“Got it.”

Boom!

As I struck my aura-enhanced sword into Harabana’s foot, black blood gushed out like a fountain. The burning black blood quickly melted the pristine white snow. Ignoring my ears ringing from Harabana’s deafening scream, I hastily wiped off the black blood on my sword.

Bang!

In agony, Harabana swung its forelimb towards Zigmund and me. The speed was chilling. With a massive frame, formidable strength, and astonishing speed, Harabana was a ruthless predator that destroyed the very food chain.

‘So we can control something like that.’

Thinking about how the North could tame terrifying creatures like Harabana made me feel oddly unsettled.

“Ignite.”

Zigmund, having dodged Harabana’s claw in a different direction, quickly moved his pale white hands and whispered softly. A red magic circle appeared over his hand and on Harabana’s foot, stained with blood.

His deep violet eyes gleamed.

Boom!

A moment later, a massive pillar of fire erupted from Harabana’s foot.

Kyaaak!

The smell of burning flesh invaded my nostrils, and Harabana’s screams assaulted my eardrums. I stared in awe at Zigmund’s magical skills for a moment, finding it almost miraculous.

No matter how talented my sword and magic might be, Zigmund was unparalleled. He had been honing his skills in real combat since he was young. His speed in conjuring magic circles and the strength of those spells were unmatched compared to countless mages I had seen before. The fact that he wielded magic at that level while achieving the rank of Sword Expert was nothing short of ridiculous.

‘My only rival.’

The only person from my generation who could match me in terms of power. Even though I often dismissed him, the only person I acknowledged as my rival was Zigmund.

Seizing the opportunity while Harabana was blinded by pain, Zigmund and I moved quickly, inflicting wounds all over its massive form. Without words, we exchanged glances to understand each other’s intentions and directions, showcasing a fantastic team effort as we dulled Harabana’s movements.

Kraaang!

After Zigmund’s sword grazed its cheek, Harabana opened its mouth wide and screamed. It was an opening. Zigmund and I quickly exchanged glances.

Swish!

My wild aura surged toward Harabana’s mouth as Zigmund stood his ground. Zigmund chased after my aura that zipped through like thunder following lightning. Watching the scene before me, I couldn’t help but snicker.

Having fought for so long, we had learned to read each other’s intentions just by looking into each other’s eyes. He knew me well, and I knew him.

As much as I disliked him, I couldn’t deny it. We made the best combination.

Slash!

The black aura ripped through Harabana’s mouth. As the corners of its mouth were torn like a clown’s grin, Zigmund effortlessly dove into Harabana’s maw.

‘Was this how Reiner felt watching me dive into Harabana’s mouth?’

I reflected on my past misdeeds.

I knew Zigmund wouldn’t get eaten, but seeing a tiny figure leap into a massive mouth made my heart drop. Humans appeared so small in the face of impending disaster.

Crack!

But while humans may be small, they were far from weak.

Light erupted from Zigmund’s aura as he pierced through Harabana’s palate. The grotesque fangs overflowed with black blood.

Graaah!

Harabana let out a final desperate groan. As I quietly watched the scene unfold, I was certain I hadn’t misjudged before.

Zigmund’s aura was undeniably two-colored.

Boom!

Harabana thrashed around, shaking the snowy expanse. It felt as if the ground itself had quaked. Harabana’s black blood drenched the white snow.

It was fortunate that we faced Harabana not far from my master’s memorial. I wouldn’t want any black blood staining the memorial.

‘If I’d been this strong back then, you wouldn’t have died so pathetically here on this snowfield.’

For a moment, I drifted into contemplation. Now, taking down something like Harabana together was child’s play. My heart ached slightly, but it wasn’t as painful as before. It was no longer a nightmare.

I swaggered up to the fallen Harabana and kicked its jaw lightly.

“Hey. You dead?”

Harabana’s mouth twitched.

“I hope you’re dead.”

“Did it show?”

At my indifferent response, laughter echoed lightly. I thought I heard the sound of splashing water, too.

Finally, Harabana’s mouth opened, and Zigmund crawled out, covered in black blood.

“You look terrible. Did you take a refreshing swim in monster blood or what?”

I couldn’t help but chuckle at Zigmund.

Now drenched in dark monster blood, he swept his hair back with a grimace. The black blood dripping from his black hair made it seem like his hair was melting away.

Even his slime-covered appearance looked strangely alluring and deadly, but objectively speaking, he appeared quite ruined, which amused me.

It wasn’t often I got to see Zigmund, who usually acted so aloof, in such a state. Seeing the smirk on my face, he frowned in annoyance and swiftly waved his hand through the air.

“Ignite.”

Flames roared to life, beginning to consume Harabana’s body. The flames, even blazing in the snowy field, showcased Zigmund’s magical prowess. My smirk seemed to aggravate him, and while I readied to tease him again, I noticed the state of his body and narrowed my brows.

“You… you’re covered in poison.”

It seemed he had pierced Harabana’s venom sac when he drove his sword into its mouth. The black blood that soaked him emanated a dangerous aura of potent venom. It appeared he had exhausted all his good luck in that coin toss.

“Enough. I’ll handle it, so you go.”

After hastily wiping off the blood on his face, Zigmund gestured for me to go. Even though he was turning pale due to the venom creeping under his skin, he was annoyingly stubborn.

‘Well, he probably won’t die if I just leave him like this…

A strong guy like Zigmund wouldn’t actually die from poison. But given that he was completely drenched in Harabana’s venom, a substance dangerous enough for an ordinary person to be knocked out for hours just by contact, if I left him here like this, he’d likely be unable to get up for at least five hours.

“You really require a lot of attention, don’t you?”

“What are you talking about…”

I wrapped my body in a layer of mana and clicked my tongue as I supported Zigmund with my shoulder. Initially, he seemed resistant, but with his strength fading, he leaned against me more. I silently bore his heavy weight and pulled out a teleportation artifact from my pocket.

‘There’s a natural hot spring within an hour’s reach.’

Nature was amazing. Hot water burst forth even in the middle of this snowy expanse. I figured I needed to wash the poison off Zigmund there.

‘This is the last one, though.’

I glanced at the artifact. I hadn’t expected such variables, so I only brought two uses worth of teleportation artifacts. If I used one for Zigmund, I’d have to walk home.

“You… helping me will only lead to regret.”

Zigmund muttered in a low voice as he steadied his breath while leaning against me. It was a weighty warning. At his words, I looked up at the snowflakes cascading from the sky, chuckling as I turned back to him.

His deep violet eyes held not a glimmer of hope. His delicately carved white face was covered in black blood.

My only rival and antagonistic partner.

“That might be true. But it’s better than regretting not helping you.”

I spoke firmly. This wasn’t an indiscriminate act of altruism, as he suggested.

“Teleport.”

It was a foolish act because Zigmund still mattered to me.