Star-Slaying Swordsman

Chapter 19

That night was very quiet.

I had a dream.

A brief dream of a “Star Slayer,” a fluttering dream like a butterfly’s.

One man who appeared in my dream was roaring on top of a mountain.

He roared on top of a mountain of bloodied, dead bodies.

The ever-invincible “***” was here, and everyone was horrified and cowered before him.

Except for— one person.

At the time, he was known as “***,” a man who was referred to as a peerless warrior and had no objection that he certainly was.

A swing of his sword was enough to split the earth, and nothing but corpses laid on the ground as he turned his back.

He left such a legend.

A soldier in the guise of a swordsman stood up against this legendary warrior.

The act of facing him wasn’t considered an act of bravery… but of savagery.

However, the man did not back down even under such pressure and instead declared as if it were a matter of course—

“If I can defeat you, I’ll be able to move forward a little more.”

There was only one thing that was different about the seemingly ordinary soldier.

His way of being was far from ordinary, and bizarre to all intents and purposes.

“I want to make my name known throughout the world.”

The place was filled with silence as he declared such a thing in front of a man called the “peerless warrior.”

But in the midst of all this, the soldier added a few words, as though to add fuel to the fire, and spoke of his dream as if it were fact.

Soon after, the place was abuzz, and all the sneers and taunts were directed at the soldier man at once.

But he didn’t care, not one bit.

It wasn’t that he was cowering in fear because he was dealing with the peerless warrior, but it was precisely because he was against such a mighty individual that he was set on trying to devour his entirety.

He asserted this by putting a grin on his face.

He knew that in order to become strong, he had no other choice but to go beyond his own limits and grasp it in a life-and-death struggle against an absolute powerhouse.

And thus, he held up his sword and took a step forward.

With the only weapon he had— his “will” in his heart —he brandished his sword in a broad manner.

“You probably think I’m just a small fry, and I won’t deny that. I may look like one who’d die on the battlefield, but don’t lump me in with the rest of them.”

He declared that he didn’t stare at the ground nor look behind him, all the more reason why he was different from those spineless insects.

“You’re said to be peerless, so you’re the strongest in the world, right?”

He announced, questioning the fact that he was really up against a peerless, undisputed enemy.

…And so their fight for life began with such an unprecedented provocation.

The short memory of being a “Star Slayer” vividly reflected the scene.

That was the beginning of the heroic tale of the man who was later called the “Sword Demon” and “Star Slayer.”

The life of a man who earnestly hoped, dared, suffered wounds, and still continued to reach out for an act that everyone else had declared impossible.

His brilliance and passion for “Star Slaying” which laid the foundation of his life were more dazzling than gold.

***

***

“…Nn…”

I found myself awake.

I could still see the moon through the window, with the moonlight shining through the clouds illuminating me.

From how it looked outside, it seemed like I hadn’t slept at all.

The view outside the window hadn’t changed much from just before I fell asleep.

“…I hadn’t dreamt of him for a long time.”

I just happened to see a brief, fractured dream with all of my might and spirit alone.

Thanks to that short dream that showed the life of the man who had lived such a way, my wavering heart had been settled.

And for that reason, I laughed.

“A place where even the knights of the royal capital die… If I, a regular human being, managed to survive in such a place, I wonder if I could move forward a little again.”

I asked the stars hidden away in the clouds—

When people die, do they become stars?

That’s what my longing had said, and I believed it.

Therefore, I was asking my longing.

From the moment that I first longed to be a “Star Slayer,” my future was already set in place.

If I were to die in the process, then I’ve only gone so far.

I certainly felt bad for Sofia and my father, but my route was set to being a “Star Slayer.” I took up the sword and waited for two years to be one.

It wouldn’t change now, there’s just no way it could.

Just like this heat that I felt.

This must be my destiny.

I rose from bed and sat on the edge, then turned my attention to my right hand and created a sword.

I put the sword I created at my waist and stood up.

“…I hope you’re still here.”

If I went out through the front door, I’d be just risking my father and mother finding out about it, so I slowly opened the window of my room and climbed out.

And needless to say, it was dark.

There was not a soul in sight.

I ran towards the entrance of the village, but there was no one to be seen.

I couldn’t see the village chief, Alec, anywhere.

…I guess I was too late.

I was afraid to ignore my father’s words and be selfish right at that moment despite all he had done for me, so I forced myself to sleep to forget about this incident.

Such thoughts were stirring in my heart.

Judging from the tilt of the moon, not much time had passed yet.

I took a step out of the village, thinking that they must definitely be nearby, and three figures appeared in my field of vision.

Luckily, Viera Islebark and the others were still there, spreading out the map and discussing something.

And soon after sensing my presence, she spoke before I could even call out to her.

“…Do you still need something?”

My father and Alec must have already talked to her about this.

Her expression was as doll-like as ever, and it was difficult to tell from there.

However, it was easy to guess from the appearance of the knights who were said to be accompanying her.

“I have something I want to talk about with you.”

She took a breath of exasperation and shook her head slightly.

“…Our discussion is already finished. I’m afraid there’s nothing more for us to talk about.”

“…I guess so.”

The fact that she was about to leave the village was proof of that.

But…

But still…

I dared to say a few more words.

“I have a favor to ask… Please take me with you.”

I bowed my head.

But what came back was just an exasperated sigh.

“It is certainly strange for me to say this, but if you were to follow me, you’d probably die. And the more conceited and stupid you are, the quicker you do.”

“I’m not conceited, and the proof for it is… the fact that I want to come with you. Besides, I want to see with my own eyes what it’s like in that place.”

Not in a dream.

Not in a flashback of a memory.

But in the real world, with my own eyes.

She’s called the “Warrior Princess.”

She must be incredibly strong, even her appearance exuded it.

So even though I knew that it would be disrespectful of my father’s concern and that I would be violating my promise to Sofia, I couldn’t help but feel that I wanted to go down this road.

I couldn’t help but pursue it.

At the same time that I was disgusted with myself, I was also made to understand that I would be blinded by my dream of becoming a “Star Slayer” until the end of my life.

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