The End of the Beginning

Robin walked out of the village, hand on rib and limping, with his eyes still darting around. After their victory, he continued walking around the village, trying to find them, but to no avail. Out in the fields, there were chunks of the creature’s flesh still lying around. There was no doubt in anyone's mind, it had been completely defeated.

Meanwhile, Frederick had already been assisting the other survivors of the attack. He carried a little girl to her parents, lifted heavy logs to free someone buried under rubble, and spoke softly with the older folks to calm their nerves, to name a few of his deeds. From the way he spoke with a smile, it was almost as if he had never even been to battle.

“Ah, Robin, are you okay?” Frederick said, placing down the cup of soup, making sure not to spill any, then running up to the injured boy.

“I’m fine, just… I think I broke a rib or two… and sprained my leg,” he replied.

“That’s not good at all. I’ll get Juge–Junge, I mean.”

“Wait–”

“What is it?”

Before realizing, Robin had reached out to Frederick.

“It’s… nothing,” he said. “You really are the Finest Knight, aren’t you?”

Frederick just watched confused for a moment, before continuing on his way.

Robin had no other way of expressing the overwhelming feeling in his heart. The attack Frederick displayed earlier was one for the legends. Despite slamming down with a thunderclap roar of destruction, watching it felt more akin to watching the party tricks of a wizard on midsummer's eve. Glowing, mesmerizing, magical. More a trick to ease the soul than an attack to vanquish evil. The dichotomy of what was and what he felt confused the thief. In his heart of hearts, he couldn’t imagine anyone but “the Finest Knight” to carry such an ability.

While still watching him from behind, the Green Hood’s ears twitched. He heard a familiar voice off in the distance. And when he looked, there he found what he was looking for. An older man tending to a young boy, wiping off the sweat on his forehead.

“So they’re safe…” Robin said with a soft smile.

“Robin!” Frederick called out to him from afar. “Junge is free, come, quick!”

In turn, Robin sighed and waved back.

“Right, coming!”

*******

Later, the two knights and Robin sat around the open fields. The sky had completely cleared up now, and they could take a break to have a quick meal.

“Gaaaaaaaaaaaah…” Robin gave off a loud gasp and sigh. “That feels so much better… ngh…”

The sudden surge of relief almost made him cry.

Frederick couldn’t help but look in awe. In less than a minute of Junge’s healing, Robin had almost been completely healed. And though this was the first time Frederick had seen Robin's body up close, it was toned and lacked even a single scratch.

“Stop staring, it’s creepy,” Robin said, noticing Frederick’s gaze.

“It’s not like that,” Frederick sighed.

Still, though it wasn't obvious to the oblivious knight, Robin would every so often glance toward him, looking as if he had something to say. Eventually, the Green Hood gave up and slammed his cup down.

“Hey, can we talk about that ability of yours?”

“The Sword of a Dream, or ‘Avalon,’ as Frederick calls it,” Tristan said.

“I know that much, I saw it for myself! But how did he do it? Did it come from his blade?”

“No, the blade has nothing to do with it. Unlike Sir Logan’s Sword or my Blessing, Avalon was something Frederick achieved on his own after swinging his sword millions of times.”

Robin looked stunned, but when he turned to Frederick all he gave was a bashful groan.

“It’s not like that, Tristan. I still had to find the right sword just for me. This sword has been my partner for over a decade now. That’s why whenever I need to use that ability, I must chant its name.”

“The sword is alive?” Robin said.

So that’s what it was. It wasn’t just his tenacity that carried him this far, it was his bond with his blade–

“No,” Tristan replied. “The sword is a normal mythril blade. It’s a fine sword made by a truly skilled blacksmith with enchantments placed on it, but those are just in place so it won’t collapse under the power of Avalon.”

“So he’s just a sword maniac after all!”

Robin covered his face in disbelief. The title of the 'Finest Knight' had always sounded strange to him, but seeing someone like this exist… forget a knight, this man was a monster in his own right. He gave Frederick a disgruntled look, but he just looked back with a soft smile as if oblivious to the absurdity of his very existence.

Suddenly, off in the distance, the crooked and slender man in all black waved at them, calling their names. They quickly followed suit.

“What did you find?” Frederick said.

“Oh, oh yes. While eati–while digging through the mounds of flesh, I found a strange orb.”

“Orb?”

“Hey, didn’t he just say he was eating the flesh?”

Ignoring Robin completely, the rest looked off in the distance and found the supposed orb, about the size of a fully grown man in diameter, it felt much larger up close.

“It came from the remains of the monster?” Tristan asked.

“I believe it must have been inside the monster this whole time…” Nout’n replied, feeling the smooth surface. “This is the same material bones are made of.”

“Hm?” Frederick inspected closer. “It’s cracked… Wha–!”

Before they could properly react, the orb burst open. And from within, a small figure jumped out with its sharp claws drawn and slashed down rapidly. Frederick’s reflexes were just fast enough to stop it before it reached his face and tossed it aside. And there its figure became clear. It was a bare-skinned young girl with sharp canine teeth and messy hair. Sharp pupils that gleamed like those of a predator, and finally–a rough voice that screamed madness.

“Beware, humans!” it said. “I am the Ilagan! The harbinger of the Demon Lord, Azermon. And the one who will bring about your demise!”