The Tutorial Is Too Hard

You sit on a pile of rocks and decide to take a breather.

I didn't need to rest, though.

The surrounding corpses and blood make the rubble look like a small island on the sea.

Sitting on a pile of rocks and looking up at the sky, you hear footsteps crumbling from a distance.

A young man shines in the moonlight among the trees.

I waited quietly.

There's no one left around here.

It's just me and Cedria around here.

She walks toward the rubble, avoiding the bodies lying on the ground... No, she crawls.

“Huff… huff…. ”

I could hear her breathing heavily enough to know what she was like now.

Given the distance that has passed for today, it was natural.

“Yeah, I told you to wait in the fort. Why did you follow me? ”

“Wait, I'm... sigh, I'm dizzy from my breath. ”

“Yes, take a breath. ”

Ceresia decides to wait a few moments for her to get up on the rubble and take a breath.

Why did she follow us here?

It was a question.

I could have stayed in the keep.

Of course, he could have followed me.

Because of responsibility or curiosity.

Or for other reasons I don't know.

However, it is not normal human behavior to ignore these many deaths and pursue someone else.

Usually we go back, run away.

Serena calms down a little and asks again.

Why they followed me.

“I regret it, too. ”

Of course you are.

His hair is spattered, his clothes are sweaty, his hair is sticky and he looks gross.

The wheezing breath comes out of your mouth, and your legs wiggle.

Blood was on my clothes and shoes, and my face and hands were dirty with dirt.

I chased you on horseback, but it was hard to keep up with you.

Even in the dark mountains.

“Phew, I thought I was going to die. No matter how far you run, the mountain ranges are getting tougher, there are dead bodies at your feet, smelly, and there are occasional demonic soldiers. ”

One of her words caught me.

“The Mines? None of them would have been alive. ”

I must have marched forward, summoning all the enemies within this region to my presence.

And I was never alive in the path I was on.

“Yes, that was a lie. ”

Ceresia replied with a distinctive, refreshing tone.

I lost my sense of humor again.

“Why would you lie? ”

“I just wanted to brag. Do you have a complaint?”

“… No, well. ”

Severia apologizes shortly after her trembling reply.

“Sorry, it's a habit. ”

“Habit?”

“Yes, everyone I meet and talk to deserves to accept that I know. That's why, one day, I started to add to my bragging as a habit. ”

“Ah... I see. But don't do it. ”

“Yes, I understand. ”

But in the meantime, I was glad I was honest.

Somehow I thought I knew where she was going.

It's the kind of pain I've been through.

The gap in status usually interferes with communication.

She is isolated within the Imperial Knights.

Probably a lot of people around her are ignoring her and avoiding her.

So the only people she can talk to would be people in lower status.

Normally, you can't even make eye contact and talk to an Imperial knight.

It seemed like such a situation.

Alone among the people.

Don't they have any family or friends?

Usually a close friend or relative helps a lot in that case.

I wanted to ask, but if it's really not there, it would be a very unfortunate question.

“It's unfamiliar to talk normally with someone like this. I have no family, no friends. ”

Oh yeah…….

The silence settles for a moment.

Bullshit.

Ceresia says bragging is a habit.

I wondered if she had told me any other nonsense.

“Oh, and by the way, was my sword a bluff? ”

“Partially. I was expecting a warrior to handle the sword. ”

“How?”

“You have to be a prosecutor to handle a sword. ”

Ah... I see.

Usually a warrior squad of 25, but in my case, I was summoned alone.

The solo summoned warrior is most likely a prosecutor, of course.

I have to deal with the sword.

“But the story about the gap was not a lie. ”

I know.

She's already proven it by keeping the right distance from me.

While the sequence of analogies has changed a bit, that alone is quite a talent.

He told me how I felt, and I told him not to care.

And he told me once again that it was great.

Serenia smiles a little awkwardly at what she says.

“Thank you."

Even when I complimented her at the lodging, she smiled with such an awkward face.

Since she hasn't changed her face because of the mess, she looks exotic.

“I'm glad.”

Ceresia adds.

She lets out a sigh and then opens her mouth again because she is still unconscious.

“I don't know how you hear it, but you're the strongest man I've ever seen. ”

“Yes, of course. ”

The answer came from my mouth, just like Sergia used to say.

Of course.

You couldn't have seen someone stronger than me.

“That's why I felt compensated for my past years. even when you told me that you were amazing the last time you saw me. I was really happy, and I was... moved. ”

It's a long story from Ceresia.

Not like her.

It's a different reaction than when you complimented her the other day.

It was easy to see why.

It is caused by hormones secreted by prolonged strenuous exercise.

At this point, the brain feels like it's been drinking moderately.

In other words, her words are no different than a drunken confession.

Not bad.

I wanted to hear her story.

Serenia was much happier about my short compliments than I expected.

I don't know if there was a reason for taking me safely to the fort.

Maybe they've been chasing us all this way, too.

“Is that why you followed me? ”

Maybe not, but I just wanted to ask why.

“At first, I was afraid you might get lost. I thought the warrior would return from an hour or two of fighting. And then I tried to stop it because it was dangerous. I couldn't keep up with my steps. ”

Anyway, I followed you because I was worried.

It was more thankful than I thought.

“I didn't think the warrior would come this far. Are you sure you want to go to the mountain the Demon King is summoning? ”

“Yes, that's why I'm here. ”

“Without a sword? ”

“Yes.”

“You are reckless. A sword is no ordinary sword. Of course, I know you're a great warrior. I'm sure we've had enough of the Miners who've been beheaded for one day. But the power of the sword isn't just good enough. And the Demon King is also invincible without the power of the Sword. He's reckless.”

“What I'd like to say to Ser Ceresia. So, what do you say? I'm going to move again. ”

I got up from my seat and said,

“How about dying? ”

“If I had, I wouldn't have come all the way here. ”

“Go back and bring me a sword. As a warrior, you can be master of the Sword. ”

“I don't want to use a man's voice with a long sword. ”

“Yes?”

You wipe away the dirt from your pants.

Before moving again, I loosened up by stretching.

“I think we should start again. ”

“... Would you mind taking a little more rest and moving? When the sun comes up in the morning, you can leave. ”

“I've rested long enough. ”

“Why don't you have some sweets? ”

Ceresia says so, and pulls the cookie out of her backpack.

All the snacks were crushed.

Seeing Sergia with a hollow look on her face, you giggle.

“I'm afraid I don't have any snacks. ”

“Brave.”

Ceresia sighs a little and asks with a hesitant face.

“Yes.”

“How far are you going? ’

“As I said, to the summoning of the Demon King. ”

“No, that's not what I meant... Where are you going to rest tomorrow? ”

In fact, my plan was to go where the Demon King was being summoned.

There is no shortage of stamina and insomnia that prevents you from sleeping.

But there is a burden called Ceresia.

“Well... shall we rest in that fortress you see there, like now?" ”

“... It's two days' ride to that fortress. ”

“Well, if you hurry, you'll be there tomorrow afternoon. ”

1908; Not available.

It's going to be full. ”

“I hope so. ”

He ran forward with his last words.

The horse ran out, but it was no different than a low shot arrow flying straight.

What choice does Serena make behind my back?

I feel Serbia standing up behind me.

I wonder if they'll come after us again.

It was a short break.

She will need food, sleep.

Do you really think they're coming after us?

The deeper you dig, the more the Mines will appear.

Miners who have not yet come within my skill range may attack her.

It is clear how dangerous the journey ahead will be for her, even without measuring back and forth.

I'm picking up Sergia's movements from back there.

* * *

“Why? ”

I placed the towel on my face and asked Cedria, lying on the dirt floor.

She chased after me like she was really dying.

The face of the marathoner is overwhelming with overface.

I arrived at the fortress I had been to before sunset.

“… Yes? ”

“Why did you come all the way out here at risk? ”

“... I'd really like to ask you a question. Please answer first. ”

I was going to insist that I was first, but I thought about it for a moment and then changed my mind.

Answer me.

“To defeat the Demon King. ”

Ceresia's face twitches slightly.

It was a shame I didn't see her face because of the towel.

I wonder what he looked like.

“Then I'm here to see the warrior defeat the Demon King. ”

I had to think a little more about what she said.

And I acknowledged it.

I couldn't find a reason.

“Is there a reason you want to? ”

“Protecting the warrior is the first mission I've been given. I want to get it done as well as possible. And if the warrior defeats the Demon King alone, shouldn't I be the one to watch him do it? ”

That was why I felt responsible.

If you ignore one thing that is missing.

There was no mention of Sergia's safety.

“It's dangerous. You could die. ”

“Doesn't that apply to you as well? ”

No, it's not.

It wasn't dangerous for me.

I won't die.

“If I wasn't, I wouldn't be dead either. ”

I still couldn't understand it, but I decided to give up on drying her.

And 15 minutes later, we revised the schedule for departure.

Maintaining this rate will cause her to die of exhaustion, heart attack, etc.

“Have a drink. Potions.”

“Yes, I'll drink to that. ”

I removed the HP recovery potion from my inventory and handed it over to Cedria.

Ceresia took it with little compassion or denial.

Once she drank the Recovery Potion, she got up and looked around.

“Are you leaving again soon? ”

“No, I'm thinking of leaving in a couple of hours. ”

“A few hours……. I should be thankful. Warrior, did you bring any food? If not, should I find something to eat in the warehouse? ”

In fact, food no longer has a big impact on the body.

Starving will definitely be a problem, but after clearing the stage and returning to the waiting room, it was okay not to eat.

That's why I haven't bought any food recently.

I searched my inventory for leftovers.

There was jerky.

I took out the jerky and drinks and shared them with Sergia.

“Thank you. I'm glad this works out, too. ”

“Jerky from a fortress full of corpses? ”

“Yes.”

Ceresia picks at the jerky roughly and replies with a calm voice.

I don't know who the warrior is.

“Oh, Lord Ceresia, do you mind if I ask you about before you were betrayed by the Knights? ”

“No, it's no big deal. ”

“Well, can I hear it? ”

“Yes. Before joining the Knights, I was a teacher at the Academy. I was a swordsman.”

“Teacher?”

“Yes, this is a bit of a long story, too. In a nutshell, one of the Academy's graduates, instead of returning home after his family had been destroyed, took a teaching position at the Academy. ”

There seems to be too much to summarize.

Not because it was nothing, but because I knew that she didn't want to discuss it in detail, I passed the story on to the next.

“Then how did you end up with the Knights? ”

“I was hired, not a traitor, my lord. It was no big deal. I just won a title as the Academy's swordsmanship teacher at the Imperial Slash Competition. ”

“You won the tournament and were betrayed? ”

“Yes, there were many reasons. The common man, the family at last, was destroyed, a woman, a teacher, not a knight. There were some minor problems. And it turns out there were a lot of them. ”

A rough picture was drawn in my head.

It was not a bright story either.

“But you're amazing. I can't believe you won the Swordsmanship Competition where knights participate. ”

Ceresia smiles for a moment, shy, and suddenly looks back and says,

“Of course. I was the best with a sword. ”

He is also proud of his skills.

He's a swordsman, just what I need.

“What about my sword? ”

“The Sword of the Warrior? ”

“Yes. You saw me fighting from afar. I'm curious about reviews.”

Ceresia takes a moment to reflect.

“In fact, from afar, it seemed like if something just flashed, the enemies would collapse. There wasn't much left of the bodies of the enemies. Oh, there was one thing that came to mind. ”

“Is it coming to mind? ”

“Yes. Bodies that seem to burn occasionally. I've seen the remains of those bodies before. A long time ago, the commander of the Knights of the Priory showed me that it was a vision sword for the kingdom that was destroyed. ”

A vision swordsmanship for the kingdom.

For a moment, I thought of the face associated with the word.

“Ser Ceresia, what was the name of the former knight commander? ”

“I heard he joined the Knights because of his past mistakes. ”

“The fault of the past? ”

“Yes. The child I had hidden has come to light. ”

“Oh, yes……. Ser Sergio, was he not a very chatty man? ”

“No, he was silent enough not to say a word or two a day. ”

I guess not.