The Royal Palace, Royal Office
Brandish was alone, flipping through documents in the silence. Though she needed to handle her duties, she couldn't focus. The report from the Setinos Quasar still lingered in her mind.
‘The Ocean King is invading the capital…’
After much deliberation, Brandish finally set the documents aside. The letter had come from none other than the Black Knight. Had it been from any other Setinos Quasar, she would have demanded more details, but not from the Black Knight.
‘The Black Knight has always moved with foresight.’
At first, she had been skeptical. How could a human in Alain Kingdom predict the movements of the Three Demon Kings and the Four Calamities? She had even wondered if he might be a monster himself, but his achievements gradually earned her trust.
‘He fought at the risk of his life, not because he foresaw the future.’
If the Black Knight could see the future, he would have handled the Three Demon Kings and the Four Calamities more easily. However, he nearly died fighting the Abyssal King and barely managed to defeat him. He might have glimpsed an incomplete future or simply had exceptional intuition.
‘If the Ocean King comes, what should I do…’
A heavy vibration rumbled through the palace from outside. Along with the sound of something collapsing, decorations and furniture in the office toppled over. Brandish rose quickly, recalling the report.
‘The Black Knight’s prediction was accurate.’
Brandish waited for the vibrations to stop, reflecting on the battle from years ago. The fight with the Abyssal King had ended in a draw, a lingering regret. She hadn’t been able to kill him with her own hands, so she would need to find a monster to take his place.
“Your Majesty! You must evacuate!”
Gloné entered the office with the royal knights. Brandish, maintaining a calm demeanor, slowly drew upon her magic.
“What’s happening?”
“The Ocean King is approaching the palace! He just attacked!”
“…Where is the General?”
“He is gathering troops and has vowed to defend the palace!”
“Bring me my sword and armor.”
The royal knights hesitated, swallowing nervously. The current queen was preparing to enter the battle herself. With the title of Setinos Quasar, she commanded respect and awe.
“Your Majesty! Leave this to the General…”
“This is my home, where the officials carry out their duties. Everyone follows me; how can I flee alone?”
“But Your Majesty…”
“I will not repeat myself. Bring me my sword and armor. I will deal with him personally.”
Brandish fixed Gloné with a resolute gaze. The Black Knight’s advance warning had allowed some preparations. Casualties should be minimal, and at worst, the palace walls would be damaged.
“I have been waiting for him to come. Why should I cower in fear because of one monster?”
At Brandish’s declaration, Gloné fell silent. As the commander of the royal knights, his duty was to protect the queen. But Brandish was not just a queen; she was a warrior and a Setinos Quasar. Even the Abyssal King had failed to overcome Brandish; the Ocean King would fare no better.
“…I will obey Your Majesty’s command.”
“Have the city guards and defense forces been alerted?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. All forces have been mobilized to protect the citizens.”
“The Black Knight has saved many lives.”
Brandish felt a sense of relief, calming her rising magic. Without the Black Knight’s warning, the palace and officials would have suffered significant losses. Countless citizens would have been caught in the attack, requiring massive efforts and time to address the aftermath.
‘My choice was not wrong.’
Brandish had invested much to gain the Black Knight’s allegiance. She had persuaded high-ranking officials and gathered all the Setinos Quasar at the palace. While the Silver Thief and the Violet Divine Archer preferred to remain at the borders, they had returned to the capital because of this situation.
All five Setinos Quasar had to present a united front to establish their legitimacy, so they had briefly returned to the capital.
‘Only with the Black Knight can we face them.’
The Black Knight had predicted the movements of the Three Demon Kings and the Four Calamities, actively countering them. Even if not always accurate, he minimized allied casualties or turned the tide in their favor. His presence alone was a safeguard for Alain Kingdom.
‘The White Apostle and the Blue Sage will be here soon.’
The White Apostle would move with the Black Knight, and the Blue Sage had likely already sensed the anomaly. The Silver Rogue and the Violet Divine Archer might not make it back to the capital, but Brandish wasn’t worried. The current forces should suffice against the Ocean King.
‘If I can just buy some time… Hm?’
Brandish felt a strange sensation and instinctively looked in a certain direction. Though unfamiliar, she quickly grew accustomed to it. It was as if she was recovering something lost long ago.
‘I don’t know what it is, but…’
Something was transmitting its name and form to her. Though unclear, she could vaguely guess.
‘A sword. A sword is calling me.’
The road leading to the palace in Alain Kingdom’s capital.
Enrite was running toward the palace, watching it crumble in the distance. He needed to get there quickly, but there were no horses nearby. Moreover, the crowds made it harder to move as he got closer to the palace.
‘We can’t respond if they attack like this.’
Enrite looked up at the sky, sighing. A white ship was flying overhead. It was so high that even if the palace attacked, it wouldn’t reach the ship. Worse, the ship’s range was longer, making it a one-sided assault.
‘We predicted the Ocean King’s arrival, yet couldn’t stop him.’
Without the prediction, the palace would have collapsed with more casualties. The city guards and defense forces were already in motion, and the officials had safely evacuated. By now, the royal knights and the General’s troops should be gathering.
“This is your fault. If you predict something, be precise.”
Enrite glared at Lesia, dissatisfied. Lesia had sensed the approach of the artificial Magic Sword but couldn’t pinpoint how close it was. Had she done so, they might have responded more quickly.
“What else could I have done? I could only sense its presence.”
“Is that an excuse?”
“Why are you like this? I did my part.”
“If you did your part, why did this happen?”
“Why ask me? I told you it was coming.”
“We missed the timing and got ambushed!”
“Do you think we wouldn’t have been ambushed anyway? How could we have stopped that?”
“If we had known, we could have bought time to evacuate. Fewer people would have died!”
“Do you think I don’t know that? If I had known, I would have told you!”
“Ugh…”
Enrite, feeling it was futile, stopped arguing. Lesia, annoyed, stopped as well. Seran silently followed them, leading the knights.
‘This isn’t the time for this…’
Arguing about right and wrong wouldn’t change anything now. They needed to defeat the Ocean King and save as many people as possible. It wasn’t something anyone could do, and the longer it took, the greater the damage.
‘We need the Black Knight.’
Despite having Setinos Quasar and Magic Sword users, victory against the Ocean King wasn’t guaranteed. But the Black Knight seemed capable of defeating the Ocean King. He had significantly contributed to defeating the Shadow Dragon and directly vanquished the Abyssal King.
‘Without the Black Knight, who will fight the Ocean King?’
The Black Knight had conveyed that he had other tasks and couldn’t fight the Ocean King. Everyone had questioned this, but Enrite and Hanette accepted it quietly. They probably knew what the Black Knight intended to do.
‘The Setinos Quasar will be here soon…’
There were currently four Setinos Quasar in the capital. Without the Black Knight, three would remain, joined by Magic Sword users and other knights. Considering the battle against the Abyssal King, they might still struggle.
‘If the Ocean King grows stronger like the Abyssal King…’
Seran had fought many monsters but never felt such overwhelming fear as with the Abyssal King. Even with continuous attacks from Magic Sword users and Setinos Quasar, the Abyssal King didn’t fall. Instead, he grew stronger, healing rapidly even when injured. Without the Black Knight’s revival, their forces would have been decimated.
‘I’m not confident.’
Despite his anxiety, Seran kept moving. A knight must always be prepared to risk their life. With a Magic Sword, he had grown stronger and brought recognition to the Sylase Knights. He had achieved much, but he didn’t want to hesitate now.
‘I also wield a Magic Sword. Maybe someday I can be like the Black Knight.’
Though it seemed a distant dream. No matter how hard he worked, he couldn’t match the Black Knight’s exceptional talent or wield the Magic Sword Exceed Rain. He could only hope that the Lightning Magic Sword Nailing held similar potential.
‘El Tesoykve also changed…’
Seran, sensing the Magic Sword’s energy, halted abruptly. The only Magic Sword without a master was emanating its power. Enrite, slightly surprised, examined his own body.
“This is…”
The Earth Magic Sword Guerganvo was vibrating intensely. He had thought it was still recovering, but it had regained its original form. Enrite, Lesia, and Seran all understood the significance of this phenomenon.
“It’s time to send it.”
“Finally found it.”
Enrite accepted Guerganvo’s will and released it from his body. Guerganvo transformed into a light brown stream and flew away.
“It’s heading toward the palace.”
“…We’ll find out when we get there.”
Enrite pushed through the crowd, moving quickly. As Lesia had said, Guerganvo was heading for the palace. There must be a qualified individual inside the palace.
‘I think I know who it is.’
Many strong individuals were in the palace. The royal knights alone were numerous, and many powerful knights served under the General. Most importantly, at the center of the palace was the Setinos Quasar.
‘If the king is qualified…’
He felt both curiosity and fear. What would happen if Alain Kingdom’s strongest warrior wielded a Magic Sword?
‘Even if we can’t destroy the Ocean King, we can drive him away.’
Years ago, even the Abyssal King couldn’t surpass the current king. Though the king hadn’t fought on the battlefield since then, she had grown stronger while maintaining her youth. With the Earth Magic Sword Guerganvo, who could stand in her way?
‘Finally… all the Magic Swords and their users are gathering.’