An Old Knight in His Twilight

AFTER STOCKING UP AT SUI, where the city eater slept, our cart headed

back out on the road. As we traveled farther and farther from Seifort, towns

and cities grew few and far between. The closer we got to Galia, the less

habitable the land became.

The barren environment was indisputably a result of the monsters

pouring across the Galian border. Since Lady Roxy's father had died to the

Heavenly Calamity of Galia, leaving the border without holy knights to

hold back the horde, the situation had only worsened. Having fought my

share of monsters to get this far, I felt foreboding in my bones.

Monsters from Galia now menaced even faraway regions. If this

incursion grew any greater, the effect on the kingdom would be grave

indeed. Such thoughts troubled me as our cart approached a small village,

only to be scattered when a loud noise echoed from the bottom of the cart

and we rattled to a halt.

"Ah, curses," our driver said. "The left wheel's busted."

After checking the damage, he uneasily declared that he'd need three

days to repair the wheel and get us back on the road. In other words, for the

next three days, we'd be staying in the small village we'd happened upon.

I expected Myne to burst into anger at being stuck in the middle of

nowhere when we could've been continuing toward Galia, but she just

shrugged.

"It's only a matter of time. We'll be back on the road eventually," she

said, then wandered down the road to check out the village on her own.

Always walking to the beat of her own drum, that girl.

While Myne did whatever it was she was up to, and the driver cursed

at the broken cart, I decided to search for the village elder. If we wanted to

stay here for the next three days, we'd need their permission.

"Tell you what, though," I said. "It sure is peaceful here."

"It wouldn't surprise me if they've got someone powerful to protect

them," said Greed.

He was probably right. We were already halfway to Galia, but this

little village felt nearly as peaceful as Seifort. We'd been fighting off

monsters as we traveled, but here, I detected no hint of monstrous presence.

For such a rough area, the villagers went about their business with a curious

air of reassurance.

As I walked on, I found an old man sitting on the stump of what had

once been a large tree. He'd tied his hair back into a ponytail.

Perfect timing. I'll ask him where the elder is.

As I approached the old man, he spoke first. "I thought I sensed a

couple strong auras. Yours must be one of them. At least you don't seem

hostile."

The old man smiled and put out a hand. "I'm Aaron Barbatos, the

village elder in these parts," he said. "Welcome to our humble home, young

traveler."

So, he was the guy in charge.

"I'm Fate Graphite," I said. "I was wondering if it would be okay for

us to stay here? Our cart's broken down, and we'll need a few days to repair

it."

"You can stay as long as you need," said Aaron. "On one condition—

a duel."

He drew a shining golden sword from the grass by the stump. I knew

the hue. That was a holy sword, which meant this Aaron Barbatos was a

holy knight. He must have seen our arrival and prepared himself and his

weapon while he waited for us to enter the village. He'd said I didn't seem

hostile…but if I didn't meet his expectations, I didn't doubt that he'd cut

me to quivering chunks of human jelly, no questions asked.

"I must refuse," I demurred. "I'm not strong enough to compete with

a holy knight."

Aaron laughed. "No need to play coy with me, young one. My

Identify skill tells me you're only Level 1, yet your stats suggest a different

story."

Not just in charge, nor just a holy knight—he had Identify. I hadn't

expected that, and it had cost me. He'd caught me off guard.

"So, what are you saying, then?" I began to unsheathe Greed.

Aaron raised his left hand to stop me. "I'm saying exactly what I said

earlier. I don't sense any hostility in you. I'm not asking you to fight to the

death, either. All I want is a chance to see your true strength with my own

eyes. So, how about it?"

The old man unsheathed his sword as he waited for my reply. He was

eager to get started. There was nothing left for me to do but humor him. I

drew Greed from his scabbard and settled into a fighting stance, my blade

pointed at the old man.

"Hm. There's a wildness to you, isn't there?" Aaron said. "Looks like

you learned swordsmanship from goblins and kobolds."

"Is that a compliment?"

"It is not."

However, my fighting style was not something I'd had a say in. I

didn't have a teacher. My sword techniques were my own. I didn't need to

know if my stance was correct or proper. I only cared that it killed

monsters.

"You may well be capable of felling monsters, young man, but I

suspect you'll have trouble in a duel with another warrior," Aaron said.

"Is that so? If you really do have Identify, then you must have seen

my stats. You know what those numbers mean…" I replied.

"Care to put them to the test, then?"

In the next instant, Aaron's blade was inches from my nose. This old

man was quick!

"You certainly appear strong," he said, "and all your stats surpass two

million. Yet they count for nothing if you can't put them to good use. It

looks to me like your body still isn't used to the power you've received."

"So what?"

"How about this? While you're here, let me teach you the way of the

sword. Indulge an old man and his eccentricities. That's my one condition

for your stay. How about it?"

Indulge him? The way of the sword? I was hesitant. The old man

might be hiding something sinister behind that kind smile. At the same

time, his assessment was right on the money. Ever since my stats had

surpassed two million, I'd felt unpleasantly uncoordinated, as though I were

improperly connected to my body.

This might well be a perfect opportunity. If the old holy knight would

really teach me swordsmanship, I needed his knowledge. The fighting style

I'd developed from my wild goblin teachers, so to speak, could only take

me so far.

"You've got yourself a deal. While we're here, you're my teacher." I

sheathed the black sword and bowed to Aaron.

"Excellent, Fate. To be honest, I've long dreaded withering away of

old age in this quiet village," he said. "So many years I've waited for the

right young traveler to appear that I might teach them everything I know.

And, as luck would have it, here you are!"

"Uh, just to be clear," I said, suddenly a bit overwhelmed, "my party

is, uh…only here for three days, okay?"

"In that case, we'd best get started immediately!"

With those words, I expected Aaron to unsheathe his sword once

more. Instead, he came right at me with his bare fists. The attack caught me

off guard, and though I attempted to stop his punch, the sheer weight of it

sent me flying backward. The old man was in much better shape than his

appearance let on!

"Ha!" he exclaimed. "You blocked my surprise attack, even at such

close range! But how about this?!"

"How about wha—?!"

Before I had a chance to finish my sentence, Aaron flipped

acrobatically over my head as he launched his next attack. How can an old

man be so agile?!

In this way, Aaron beat hand-to-hand combat techniques into me until

evening. If I hadn't had the Health Regen skill, my body would have been a

tapestry of bruises.

"Hand-to-hand combat teaches control of your stats and hones your

body more directly than a weapon," Aaron said. "But let's call it a day, shall

we? Let me show you my home."

As I dreaded what kind of torture Aaron had in store for me next, I

noticed Myne walking toward us. When Aaron saw her, a flash of surprise

spread across his face.

"But that's impossible…" he murmured to himself.

"Is something wrong?" I asked.

"No, it's nothing. Are the two of you traveling together?"

"Yes. Her name's Myne. She's got a temper on her, so tread carefully.

She's a bit like a wild horse."

"Sounds like quite the handful," Aaron laughed.

I was serious! "Yeah, it's not so funny when you're the one traveling

with her."

Myne must have realized we were talking about her, because she

sneezed as she walked toward us. As she approached, she glared directly at

me.

Uh oh. What am I in for this time?