"Have you ever-- have you ever really swung a sword?
What that word means is that a sword is a tool to kill people.
Eric''s seriousness means that he wields the sword with the intention of killing people.
I''m a soldier here in the Begonia Kingdom.
A very proud profession, I think to myself.
It''s not an exaggeration to say that I''ve been wielding a sword all my life in order to become a soldier.
I had the talent.
Even if I was a woman, I had developed enough sword skills to surpass a man. That gave me confidence.
I was proud that the only people in the Order who could beat me were the Commander and the Vice Commander.
But I was defeated by a man who was younger than me. Even though I had never lost to a soldier older than me.
The man said that I had never once wielded a sword in earnest.
Ready to kill.
I don''t have enough of that.
Perhaps the Commander and Deputy Commander have also wielded their swords with that resolve.
Perhaps people weaker than me have also been wielding swords with seriousness.
I''m afraid of killing people, I''m afraid of killing people.
It''s okay to kill demons, probably because they can''t talk and look so far removed from humans.
I''m afraid that if I kill someone, something will change in me.
I am definitely more competent than other soldiers.
However--''''
''''Haha! It''s a masterpiece! I didn''t expect to find a soldier in the kingdom who couldn''t kill a man!
I knew that the people who come into play in times like this are the ones who are weaker than me, but more prepared.
The man in front of me laughs and swings his sword at me.
I take it.
We put our swords together and antagonize each other, but the man''s bare strength seems to be stronger than mine and he is pushed.
''''d*mn...!
The man''s red eyes catch my agitated face.
His smile is wickedly deeper than before, and he pushes it in further.
There''s a little girl behind me. I can''t back away any further.
I shed the force that''s pushing me in and break their stance.
And then the sword - without swinging it, I kick it into its unprotected stomach.
''''Guhaha...!
The wound he just slashed is on his stomach, so it should hurt a lot.
The man held his belly as he dropped back a bit.
He had a look of anguish on his face, but his mouth immediately grinned.
''''Haha, I knew you wouldn''t attack with a sword...''''
'' Shut up! You know you can''t beat me! Now get the hell out of here!
I shout as I point the sword''s cutting edge at my opponent.
However, my opponent laughs as if he''s not afraid of anything.
''''Yeah, you can''t win if you fight normally, but you can win if you kill each other. Besides, you''ve got a leg up on you now, right?
The man points his palm at me, or rather at the girl behind me.
''''Ha!''''
I had a bad feeling about that action and ran towards the girl behind me.
''''Ground Spear (Grand Lancer).''''
He takes the girl in his arms and flies at the same rate.
At that moment, a piercing pain runs through my leg.
''''d*mn--!
I roll over, holding the girl to my chest so as not to hurt her.
''Dude, are you okay?''
I stop rolling and look at the girl I was holding.
''Yeah, I''m fine...''
Well, good.
I make the girl stand up and brush the dust and other things from her hair.
I was standing on my knees and looking at her, but the girl looks at my leg.
''Sis, there''s blood on my foot...''
''Yeah, I''m fine. It doesn''t hurt or itch.
Throbbing and painful foot.
I didn''t see it, but sensibly, probably the left foot.
Something from the ground must have poked me at my ankle.
The moment I tried to stand up, I felt the most intense pain I''ve ever experienced.
''''----!
You can''t let the pain show on your face before you''re face to face with a girl.
But it must have come out a little.
''''Sis, are you okay?''''
Yeah, I''m fine.
I tried to stand up, but I couldn''t get up because I couldn''t get my left leg up.
However, I could tell by the signs behind me that a man was already coming from behind me.
As I turned around while standing on my knees, the man swung wide and swung his sword down at me.
As soon as he could, he swung his sword as if to raise it from underneath him.
''''You''ve turned the tables!
The man pushes in with his weight to crush it from above.
''''d*mn...!
It''s easy to flush this out. All you have to do is change the direction of the sword a little and turn it off to the side.
But you can''t do that now.
If you do that, you can''t make your next move now.
If you delay your next move, your sword could hit the girl right behind you.
You shouldn''t let it flow.
But if you are pushed in like this, you will lose.
''''You got me just now, payback!
A moment later, the man''s kick enters my stomach.
''''Yah........!
I found out that I was going to be kicked, and I put a lot of pressure on my stomach, but I still felt a pain that echoed in my gut.
The man swings his sword at me again and I catch it again, holding back the pain.
''''You stubborn bastard!''''
He pushes in with more force than before.
With the pain in my stomach and my poor position, I can''t put much strength into my arms.
Oh no, I''m going to die if I don''t!
Flush once, get back in position--
Sis...!
-Oh!
Just as I was about to shed it, I heard a voice from behind me that sounded like I was about to cry.
Yes, if I flush the man''s sword, the girl might be in danger.
I can''t flush it, but if I don''t, I''ll die...!
Then - something warm was applied to my back.
Small, very small.
There''s only a girl behind me.
"Hang in there, sis...!
A hand.
A girl''s hand is on my back.
Yes, I''m the only one the girl can count on.
If I don''t win this fight, she dies.
I''m gonna win this thing.
If I want to beat this guy now - I have no choice but to wield my sword for real.
A man''s sword, let it go.
He was probably trying to push it in and kill it as it was, but the man easily gets out of his stance.
He looks impatient for a moment, but quickly grins.
There''s a girl right near where the man''s sword flowed.
I won''t let him do it.
My sword is in the man''s pocket. I crumble it so that it will.
That''s what he''s figured out, but it''s too late.
--I''m going to...
I swing my sword up my left flank, all the way to my right shoulder.
"d*mn it........can you kill it?
With those words as the last word, the man''s body separated into two.
With the momentum of his stance, he falls directly to my side.
Up from the part I slashed, that''s where it''s definitely separated from the body.
With his eyes open, the man is dead.
I killed him.