The Villain Carries the Holy Sword – Chapter 115

Chapter 115: Season of the Storm (5)

The reason Cain had to enter the forest alone was to avoid Glumiêm’s witch’s ‘miracle’, ‘Fate Observation’.

“…….”

And so did Abel.

The others didn’t know why, but Cain knew better than anyone how Abel avoided Glumiêm’s ‘miracle’.

Born in the forest, destined to be a hero.

How dare they call him a main character in this era? But Cain could tell for certain.

‘The main character of the previous worldline was Abel.’

When the Demon King of ‘Oblivion’, who would make the world forget, arose, Abel and his party marched into the Demon King’s castle and eventually killed him.

To kill the Demon King.

It’s not just about being strong, it requires the ‘caliber’ to inflict meaningful damage on the Demon King.

That’s why the  〈Sacred Treasures of the Four Seasons〉 were needed.

If an individual’s ‘caliber’ or ‘fate’ does not reach the ‘Demon King’ created by the world, the blow will not land. Or, it might be possible if the weapon wielded is a sacred treasure.

Anyway, Abel was the hero of summer, chosen by the holy sword, ‘Summer’, and the one who killed the Demon King.

‘And in this worldline, I completely reversed his fate.’

One died.

One killed.

Cain cut off the chain of despair from the beginning by burning his own future.

No matter how talented Glumiêm was as a witch, it would be impossible.

“Brother.”

Abel urged Cain.

The others also looked back at Cain.

They knew that Cain cherished Arna and Abel, but the fact that he was the talent they needed right now was unavoidable.

“Abel is too young.”

Cain parted his lips with difficulty.

Abel immediately retorted.

“Brother is still young too.”

“I…….”

“And everyone here, the entirety of this kingdom, and the history of the struggle that took place on Airian Island rests on your shoulders, brother.”

With Cain’s movements, an era would change.

If Glumiêm was truly finished, the northern border of Airian Island would disappear, and the kingdom would achieve its dream.

And that’s not all.

The kingdom’s people, who had been suffering from the cruel and vicious Airian Island elves, would disappear, and the power of Marquis Belt, which had poured most of the national power, would now be completely transformed into the driving force of the nation.

The era that has continued until now.

The history of the elves.

The dream of mankind.

Everything.

It was on Cain’s shoulders.

“I will share the burden.”

Abel rose from his seat.

Shing━.

Abel drew his sword.

Everyone’s eyes widened in surprise. Only Arna smiled bitterly and lowered her head.

“…….”

Marquis McLoud, who had heard that Arna was the mercenary, ‘Flash’, looked at her warily and then at the two brothers.

“My blade cannot yet reach you, brother.”

“It’s still too early.”

“But it wouldn’t be so bad that I couldn’t fight by your side.”

“…….”

Cain looked at the crackling bonfire. The firewood was burning itself, emitting light and heat.

Sacrifice was not far away.

Even the bonfire was fueled by sacrifice.

Without sacrifice, there would be no light.

And Abel proposed to take on that imminent sacrifice to show his sword to Cain.

“Try me.”

When he urged the silent Cain once more, Cain rose from his seat.

“I won’t go easy on you.”

Abel grinned.

“That’s what I wanted to hear.”

Because that was the answer he wanted most.

The spring that blossomed when he first met Cain had begun to fade.

Back then, he was helplessly defeated and told by Cain to come back next spring, but Abel couldn’t do that.

He felt uneasy every time he saw Cain.

He didn’t know if Cain would be there until next spring.

As if there was no tomorrow, Abel wanted to solve everything this spring to stop Cain from entering the fire pit.

As Cain turned and walked towards the clearing, Abel looked back at the Ethelred Knights.

Cloyd, Victor, Vanderbilt.

The three knights nodded, cheering Abel on.

🔹🔹🔹

Fwooosh━.

The wind blew.

Still, the humidity that had been heavy as if the sun had set disappeared, and only the scent of grass lingered faintly in the wind.

It ruffled Cain’s black hair.

The knights of the expeditionary force, regardless of their affiliation, surrounded them in a circle, and in the center stood Cain and Abel, each holding their swords.

“If you underestimate me thinking of my past self, you’ll be in for a surprise.”

Cain smiled at the uncharacteristic joke from Abel.

“I would never underestimate you.”

It was thanks to his brilliant talent and near-infinite support that a boy from the backwoods of the continent had attained a level of martial prowess that rivaled even those from the Holy See and the Empire.

Having seen Abel’s future, Cain did not dare to disregard the effort and passion he poured into his training.

Swoosh━.

Slow, deliberate steps.

Abel clicked his tongue.

“Honestly, I was hoping you’d let your guard down a little.”

“Didn’t I tell you before? Your talent is so brilliant that no one in this world can compare. An ordinary person like me can’t afford to be careless.”

“……Ordinary.”

Abel frowned.

Oleciren, who was listening, looked at Isoel with a dumbfounded expression, and Isoel nodded slightly with a look that said it was a bit absurd.

After all, no matter what anyone said, changing the entire kingdom at the age of seventeen couldn’t be anything but talent.

Clang━!

Just as the mood lightened.

Abel made the first move. His sword shot up from the ground, thrusting towards Cain’s face.

Ting━!

Cain barely moved.

He simply turned his sword, holding Agweska vertically, and lightly deflected Abel’s sword to the side.

“Light.”

“You’re telling me.”

At Abel’s light reply, Cain immediately tensed.

Lo Meyer.

Chaaaaeeng━!

Vanderbilt’s signature move, the vertical slash, transformed into a horizontal cut in Abel’s hand.

A calculated technique, anticipating the deflection from Cain’s sword!

Cain tilted Agweska slightly, letting the sword slide off.

Swoosh.

Abel pulled back his sword and.

Thump━.

He kicked the ground with his left foot.

Saaaaah━.

Wind gathered around his sword.

This wasn’t going to be a long fight anyway.

After the first probing attack, he intended to end it with the second attack that followed.

Cain’s eyes widened.

Abel’s stance was all too familiar.

‘It’s me.’

Always watching Cain from behind, Abel had absorbed Cain’s life.

From the breathing to the gait honed over the years at the Great Wall, he imitated everything.

‘But that’s not where it ends.’

The younger brother, who grew up watching his brother’s back, found his own path.

And he showed the signpost of that path at this very moment.

Abel-style Ardvark━.

The white cliffs of Ethelred came crashing down.

The sword embodied the grandeur of the cliffs and the vastness of the sea, and it was Abel who contained it all.

Saaaaaaaaaah━!

The night was torn apart.

Silver aura blazed brilliantly from Abel’s sword. The trajectory originated from the sword marks someone had carved into the cliffs long ago.

Airget-lam.

Bang━!

It was a lightning strike.

Such tremendous power was concentrated, causing waves of dirt to rise behind Abel’s feet, that some knights even lost sight of him.

‘Not bad.’

Cain smiled inwardly.

He liked the sight of Abel, his sword clad in silver aura, thrusting fiercely towards him.

‘But it’s not enough.’

From the moment the aura manifested, their speeds were on par, making it inevitable, but he would avoid clashing swords as much as possible.

Cain didn’t meet him head-on.

Instead of a warrior’s, he chose an adult’s method.

Tap.

He stepped back.

He appreciated the new technique Abel had created, but there was no need to indulge him.

It was a movement only those who had reached the realm of speed, where they could see the tip of a sword and dodge, could execute.

Whooong━.

Having missed its intended target, the force behind Abel’s sword dissipated.

“Not bad at━.”

But Cain couldn’t finish his sentence.

Kuul━lung.

Abel’s sword bounced strangely and accelerated once more!

Abel-style Ardvark.

Airgead-lámh.

There was no time to dodge.

Cain instinctively poured Pure White Thunderbolt into Agweska.

Crackle━.

The ‘Winter’ aura that erupted in an instant flickered.

Boooom!

It sent Abel flying, still holding onto his swords.

Abel was blown back, leaving a long trail on the ground. Cain, who had reacted instinctively, stood there momentarily dazed before rushing to Abel’s side.

“Are you al━.”

“Did I pass the test?”

Abel cut off Cain’s worried words in surprise.

“…….”

“I know I’m still lacking. But am I at least worthy of sharing your burden, brother?”

All eyes turned to Cain, waiting for his answer. But he couldn’t bring himself to utter words of approval easily.

Abel continued in a calm voice.

“I found sword marks on the cliffs of Ethelred. Naturally, I thought Lord Count Edmund made them, but upon inquiring, I was told that the first Ethelred had created them.”

“So you created that technique based on them.”

“Yes. Because I wanted to follow in his footsteps.”

“Then why did you make it a two-strike attack?”

Cain thought a single decisive blow would be more fitting for Abel’s technique. Of course, the two consecutive thrusts lacked the same impact, but it was a more practical approach.

So much so that it made even Cain react instinctively.

Abel grinned.

“Because the sword of Ethelred came down twice.”

The radiant sword, Ardvark.

The first and second techniques passed down to Cloyd were also this consecutive strike.

Cain let out a small chuckle and smiled.

“What a devious family.”

“You can say that again.”

The two brothers’ laughter intertwined.

Swoosh━.

Cain reached out to Abel, who was sprawled on the ground.

“Get up.”

Looking up at the offered hand, Abel asked.

“Did I pass?”

Cain knew.

The reason he tried not to take Abel with him was that, contrary to his words about seeing him as a warrior, his heart saw Abel as his beloved younger brother.

However, at this moment.

He saw Abel growing as a warrior, a swordsman, and a hero.

“……Yes.”

He could no longer deny him.

Clap clap clap━.

Marquis McLoud, who had watched them, shedding tears of joy for some reason, clapped, and people who had watched also began to clap.

Their affiliations didn’t matter.

The ordinary knights didn’t know why the two were fighting, but that didn’t matter either.

From the moment they witnessed the two brothers’ passionate swordsmanship, their hearts beat as one.

“Tomorrow morning it is.”

Cain pulled Abel to his feet and raised Agweska high in the air. In that instant, all other sounds ceased.

Swoooosh━.

And as the sword descended, it pointed towards the ‘Deep Forest’ shrouded in white mist.

“Tomorrow, we end the era of the elves.”

🔹🔹🔹

“Asher.”

Cain handed over the clothes he had been wearing to him. Asher nodded with a determined look.

“I will make sure that the empty seat won’t be noticeable.”

As he was similar in age and build to Cain, it was decided that he would impersonate Cain while he was away to deceive Glumiêm.

His power was overwhelmingly insufficient, but if he had Oleciren’s buff, just as he did during the battle against Ballam, things could work out somehow.

Cain patted Asher on the shoulder and said,

“I entrust my place to you.”

Thump━.

Asher placed his fist over his heart and said in a low, firm voice,

“Yes, My lord.”

As Asher turned to leave.

While Cain was alone.

Knock knock━.

A knock sounded on Cain’s tent flap. Through the gap in the tent flap where Asher had exited, a wrinkled face peeked in.

“May I come in?”

It was Marquis McLoud.

“You were going to come in even if I said no.”

Despite Cain’s indifferent response, Marquis McLoud entered with a good-natured chuckle.

“Well, that’s true.”

“What brings you here? If you’re here to object……”

“Why would I object? It’s our dear grandson-in-law who……”

Squeeze.

Cain gripped Agweska without another word, and Marquis McLoud clicked his tongue.

“It’s not a good habit to grab your sword whenever things don’t go your way, you know.”

“It’s also the most efficient way.”

“……You stubborn brat.”

“So, are you here to offer your support?”

“No.”

Marquis McLoud’s face hardened.

Saaaaaah━.

Cain felt a soundproofing barrier unfold around the tent.

“The mercenary, ‘Flash’.”

The old marquis, who had participated in the previous expedition.

“Is she truly Edmund’s second wife?”

voiced the question he had been harboring.

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