TRY3 NEXT[]
This high-ranked knight of "Gold Paladin" has made achievements step by step, and has become a core member of the knightly order despite his young age. His fame is growing these days as a commander. He is called "Commander of the Holy Sword", as he always appears in public with his flamboyant ceremonial sword in place of military costume. Although he has no especially distinguishing achievement, he possesses a charisma that can attract others. His connections and strength make him chosen and work well as a temporary leader, of either investigation troops established in response to sudden cases or security troops in large-scale operations. As the paragon of everyone, his hard work earns him trust from both knights and citizens. Despite being a high-ranked knight, he is known to be close to people. His talent as a commander has bloomed, but he has fewer chances to face enemies directly. The sense of tension he experienced on battlefields in the past is fading away, and he is a bit worried about this trend.
Monthly Bushiroad Short Novel (March 2017 Issue)[]
Grave Sinner Luard
Sanctuary Guard Temple---that is the most historical building of the Sanctuary, located in the northernmost part of the Kingdom of United Sanctuary.
"The evacuation of civilians is complete."
The temple was built by the White Dragon King, and now, it is protected by the nation as its cultural heritage site.
"My platoon, get to the back of the building, keep up!"
"Understood."
The valued building has no traces of modification, and entry is prohibited at all times but one. Thanks to the "White Dragon Knight(s)", the descendant(s) of the White Dragon King, the temple opens one day per year and allows visiting.
"Dead or alive for the intruder, is it?"
"Simply kill him. The life of a mere thief cannot compare to the value of the cultural heritage."
"Excuse me, is that the command of the Grandcaptain?"
"What're you saying?"
Of course, permission of entry doesn't mean permission of touching. On the open day, the temple and its surroundings are under the monitor of competent knights and mages.
"You dare to say I speak of false information!"
"N, no, I do not mean that."
"Humph, then get back to your assigned area!"
In addition, soothsayers of "Oracle Think Tank" predict the conditions of not only the open day, but several days before and after the open day. Therefore, the existence of suspicious beings can be detected. Nonetheless, even the tightest security network has its flaws.
"Grandcaptain Gurguit, here is the Second Platoon of the Special Security Troop. We've followed your orders, and have reached the back of the building."
"You've worked hard. Please standby until the First Platoon drives the enemy to your location."
"May I ask the results of the divination?"
"The specialized soothsayer said there was a mage who is powerful enough to interfere with the divination. This time, we had better not rely on divination, so as to prevent confusion."
"...Understood. My platoon shall stand by before we receive new orders."
(Humph, a brat wet behind his ears. How could it so easy to appear, a mage powerful enough to interfere with the divination?)
"The approach report from the First Platoon should be coming. Without unnecessary stimulation, force the intruder into a corner---"
The captain of the Second Platoon turned off the communication device with a disagreeing face.
(I heed to your command no more.)
He clicked his tongue slightly so that his subordinates could not hear. He could not accept the fact that a man younger than him, a man with less achievements than him, was chosen as the glorious Grandcaptain of the Special Security Troop.
(Just say the communication's jammed because of the enemy's interference. Most likely, that brat didn't tell me the contents of the divination so that I cannot take his achievements. That's not going to be his turn. The crisis will be solved under my command, and I'll let you see the difference in experience...!)
(The communication with the Second Platoon jammed.)
Outside the Sanctuary Guard Temple, Gurguit was very surprised. Although he was an outstanding young man praised as the paragon of knights, he is insensitive to ill intentions. He could not reach the truth, that the communication was deliberately blocked by the recipient.
(Is that a malfunctioning of communication devices... no, that may be jamming from the enemy. How should I deliver the messages of the operation...)
As Gurguit was looking at the communication device and thought seriously, a message from the First Platoon reached him.
"This is the First Platoon. The pursuing is going right. We've almost driven him to the location of the Second Platoon."
"Very good. Please keep on chasing the target. Reduce the intruder's escape route to one. But don't forget---"
His advice was interrupted, by "Bradott", the captain of the First Platoon.
"Be wary of the scale of attack, right? Leave it to me. I won't ruin your operation."
Bradott and Gurguit are both high-ranked knights of "Gold Paladin". There are things that cannot be changed by the flow of time. A good example is their long-lasting relationship as friends who can talk equally.
"Sorry. Your true power is only needed after you drive the intruder out of the temple."
"Hey, don't say like I'm a battle maniac."
Gurguit could imagine Bradott raising his arms and shaking his hand, and a small laughter burst.
"I'm depending on you."
"I know. And my trustworthy elites are with me. Although I'm unsure about the Second Platoon..."
At that moment, they heard a sound they liked the least---a sound of explosion with rocks crumbling.
"It can't be..."
Gurguit turned to the temple with a pale face, and Bradott's message could be heard.
"It seems... that is your 'it can't be'. The Second Platoon has made the foolish move to agitate the intruder."
A large hole was opened on the stone roof of the temple, and black smoke rose from the hole. Standing atop was a man in a black robe, a man that showed what a mage should look like. He was looking around alerted. He was the intruder.
"Urgh. The prey's response when it has nowhere to escape, it's so easy that everyone with a brain can tell, isn't it?"
Gurguit, while hearing his friend's grumble, did not turn away from the intruder. To prevent further destruction, he must drive the intruder away from the temple. For so, he needed to observe the intruder's actions carefully. The man didn't notice he was being observed, and spread the wings on his back. Without a doubt, those are the wings of dragons.
(Dragon wings? I haven't heard of magic that can turn one's body into a dragon's... no, I can think about it later.)
"I'll lead the security troop outside to capture the intruder. Please lead the First Platoon and the uninjured members of the Second Platoon. Try to control the spreading of damage and confusion."
"Though I didn't think you'd make a blunder... be careful."
"We've both grown up for several years. I'm not going to run wild like before."
Gurguit ended the communication, and gathered the soldiers outside the temple immediately. He led about seventy percent to chase the intruder flying towards the west.
When the Security Troop departed from the temple, the intruder in the black robe---"Luard" was flying towards the western part of the continent at an astounding speed. He chose the west without a very special reason, only because the security at the west seemed the loosest.
"...It hurts! Seems that's the limit for fleeing by flying..."
After confirming there were no enemies nearby, Luard descended with his wings disappeared. He used "Dragshift", the secret arts that turn the users' bodies into staunch dragons, to grow dragon wings on his back. However, Luard's current power could not Dragshift in multiple locations. Although he gained wings for fast flight, his body was still the body of an elf. The wind pressure was an overwhelming burden to his body.
"Fu... dang, if it wasn't for that old man of a knight blocking my way, I would have left from the entrance without making a mess..."
Luard regulated his breathing, and hit a tree nearby, shouting in anger.
"No, if I hadn't listened to Uscias that time..."
That happened after Luard fled from "Neo Nectar", and approached the great library of "Great Nature" University.
"Hey, you're Luard, aren't you?"
"You are, Uscias... right?"
Luard was greeted by "Uscias", one of Luard's few Dragwizard friends.
"I haven't seen you for a while. It's about a year, isn't it?"
"Your hair's grown so long... you should take care of your hair, at least at a basic level. "
Uscias is a bookworm, and was traveling around libraries of the world for the study of Dragshift. He could be away from the knightly order for several months, and people call him the Vagabond Mage. Uscias was awesome as a mage, but he had low reputations, possibly due to his oddball personality. As Luard and Uscias were both underappreciated by others, their friendship could be described as inevitable.
"I refuse. I've found a treasure hut, how could I waste time on cutting hair?"
"And that's why you haven't contacted me for a year, right?"
"Exactly."
"Hey, you being here is a surprise, a good one. I have something to investigate these days."
"About dragons, is it?"
"...Why do you know?"
"Don't show that scary face. You're meddling in regions with legends of dragons and magical beasts, right? I think an earnest boy like you must be studying Dragshift."
"...Then, anything interesting?"
"Interesting things... hmm? Have you paid a visit to Sanctuary Guard Temple?"
"I've been there, but isn't entry prohibited?"
"You don't know? That temple is open for visiting once per year."
"...Good!"
"Wait, calm down! Calculating from today... the open day is two days later."
"Two days... I can't get there even by high-speed boat."
"Ships alone is not enough, but if you combine with Dragshift, that's another story."
"Combine with Dragshift?"
"Flying is faster than traveling on ship, but your body can't bear long time flying, right? So, you need to find suitable ships on the sea, and take rests occasionally."
"...That's illegal immigration. That's against the law."
"That said, it isn't a problem if you aren't caught. And when compared to that, if you miss this chance, you need to wait for the open day next year."
"That is, yes."
"Postponing the study for a year, I can't stand that... you're a mage now, so you know that feeling, don't you?"
And so, Luard was persuaded by his bad friend, and traveled from Zoo Continent to the Kingdom of United Sanctuary on multiple ships... and he was discovered by the crew whenever he landed on the ship. When escaping, Luard's form was captured by the cameras as "the stowaway in black". His information was sent back to the Sanctuary, and he was recorded as a Class 2 Criminal. In addition, his information with photos were recorded in the database of "Oracle Think Tank" as a wanted criminal, so all knights and mages guarding important places remembered his appearance and reinforced the security. Although Luard didn't know, his arrest warrants could be found in all major cities.
"I just came back and became a wanted criminal, that can't be..."
Unknowingly, Luard arrived at the northern part of the Sanctuary. Although he was wanted, not all civilians learnt of him in one day. He sneaked into the civilians waiting for the open day, and arrived at the temple peacefully... only to be recognized by a guarding soldier, and reinforcements were called. He was separated from the civilians without noticing it, and when he found out he was encircled by a great number of soldiers, he fled into the temple. After eavesdropping on the soldiers' chat, he knew that he was wanted and tried to escape, but it was too late for that. The temple was surrounded by the special security troop led by Gurguit, and it came to now.
(My head hurts...)
Continuous usage of Dragshift and escape could knock down most mages. Luard was tired and fainting for drastic depletion of mana and stamina.
"That said, they don't know my name, that's a mercy..."
Members of the secret organization "Shadow Paladin" had no family registry, and the names they used usually were just alias. They would even create false identities in some missions. So, although his appearance had been exposed, his name was still a secret to the public.
"Hmm... a town..."
To make himself feel better, Luard looked around. At that moment, he noticed buildings over the street.
(Though I wanna rest asap, there could be arrest warrants... just in case, let me check it first.)
Luard tried to activate Dragshift, paying more attention than usual. A magical circle was conjured in front of him successfully. Although it seemed that his body did not change, a part of his body had transformed indeed.
(Arrest warrants...)
His right eye became a golden dragon eye, and looked at the town from afar. He checked the town's condition with this ultravision.
(It seems there isn't any.)
That was a rural town in the northern Sanctuary. Unlike the capital and the surrounding major cities, the delivery of information was slow.
(Fine, I'll hold on a bit more.)
Luard's eye returned to normal, and his feet walked towards the town. What he wanted that moment was a cup of water and a bit of rest. This desire drove his exhausted feet to walk.
But Luard's desire was not going to come true. Gurguit's special security troop was also approaching that town.
"Captain Gurguit! I saw the enemy turn, and is approaching the town!"
"Then, it seems that the enemy hasn't noticed us. He has just depleted his mana. It's reasonable, given that he had been flying at that speed for a long time."
Although Gurguit did not know the truth of his enemy's power, the power of all Cray's creatures came from mana, and using power means using mana. Gurguit's judgement is of high accuracy, and that could be said as the greatest threat to Luard.
"But this is convenient! A magic to detect the position of a target by assembling micro-spirits of wind... we don't even need devices. "
"Thanks to Bradott's wisdom, that is."
"We can't lose to big bro, and must work hard!"
"You're right, Conanus. I feel sorry about Bradott for not able to fight enough, but from now on, it's our work."
Looking at "Conanus" warmly, Gurguit raised his arm highly. That was the sign of "stop".
"Now, the operation starts."
"Ah, I'm living again."
"Hahahaha! First time to see a guy so happy only for a cup of water."
Just as Luard got to the town, he rushed to the inn for water. The owner didn't want to welcome a man not buying alcoholic beverages in the first place, but he changed his mind after seeing Luard's dying face, and gave Luard a cup of water. He did it because it might become a nightmare if Luard just died, but he found the latter funny for drinking the water like he was tasting the most delicious thing in the world. The two became friendly and had a casual talk.
"How about some shots?"
"Sure, I'll find you after my body gets better."
"Oh, it's your say, huh? Be sure to come again!"
"I am not lyi---"
Luard's relaxed face became taut suddenly.
"Sorry, owner."
And he gripped the cup tightly.
"I'm afraid I can't come again...!"
"The detection magical field at the town's entrance showed response. It seems that he has sensed us."
"Are the town's residents safe?"
"I don't think he'd take hostages. I think in the temple, he paid more attention to the damage to the surroundings than us."
"Do you mean he has his own difficulties?"
"We won't know until we ask him. But he doesn't seem the type to hurt others whimsically. And that makes his actions predictable."
"Hmm, escape immediately after being found, and if he finds he can't escape..."
"Do not agitate him until he's driven to a place that won't do damage to the surroundings."
(That's too fast! Is my location exposed!? But there should be no tracking device on me!)
The detection magical field on the eastern entrance showed responses, and Luard ran out from the western entrance. Although his stamina had recovered a bit, his mana was not, and he could only use Dragshift for several times more.
(Seems... I can't escape anymore.)
After leaving the town, the roads surrounded by trees were blocked. The maintained road was no more, and in front of him was a ruined one. For some reason, the road on the west could not be used at that moment.
(Then, I have to fight.)
Luard made the decision, and stopped. Gurguit's cavalrymen were on the ruined street, as if they've been waiting for Luard.
"This is an ancient road that hasn't been used for a long time. I thought this would be your escape path."
Gurguit said, as if talking to a friend. Luard did not reply, but prepared and made analysis.
(Should be over fifty. If these knights are just forerunners, there should be over 100 if infantrymen are included.)
"Make the right choice, surrender and be arrested. I don't want to unsheathe my sword against a mage depleted of mana. If you have your own difficulties, I'll listen to you later."
(...That's touching.)
Luard raised his arms in silence, and placed them behind his head. Seeing this sign of surrender, the knights let down their guard, except Gurguit.
"Urgh! Be careful!"
Gurguit felt something is wrong, and shouted out. Commoners might take the chance to flee, but Luard was beyond them. He conjured a tiny magic circle in his throat.
(...Too late!)
From Luard's mouth came an earth-shaking roar. Tens of knights fell down because they could not shield their ears. Others were safe, but they needed to focus on calming down their horses, and the cavalry formation was no more.
(Only tens... as expected from elites. Then, once more---)
Luard planned to roar again, and inhaled greatly,
"Ah..."
Suddenly, he smelt blood from his mouth. At the moment he sensed he was defeated, several knights had got down from their horses and pressed him on the ground.
(What? What happened? I'm defeated? By whom? That red-haired knight?)
Luard was pressed down by knights taller than him, and could not move. Even so, Gurguit didn't let down his guard.
"Prepare for large-scale capture magic. He could be more dangerous than expected."
(Too, bad... this is...)
Depletion of mana, exhaustion of body, stamina had reached its limit... Luard's mind was being smothered in darkness by the multiple factors.
(No way, but to give it a try...)
Not only Gurguit, any one of the knights could be a tough problem for Luard at this moment.
(That, I've learnt. What's that called?)
But, no matter how much Gurguit had paid attention, no matter how many strategies Gurguit had made.
(Should be...)
That was meaningless against an overwhelming power.
(Stride)
From Luard as a center, a pillar of light appeared, and blew away the knights pressing him. No knight could understand what was happening except one.
"That's the light of Stride...!"
Only Gurguit knew the true identity of that light. That was the secret technique taught by the spacetime messengers "Gear Chronicle", the power to summon warriors from the past or from the future---Stride.
"Everyone, draw back immediately."
Hearing these words, the knights came to their senses, and jumped away from Luard. Just after that, a powerful shockwave was sent from the pillar of light, and carved many cracks on the ground. If the knights had not responded quickly enough, they would have been gravely injured.
"..."
From the pillar of light appeared a long-haired man, in a black robe like Luard. Although he looked like an elf, some parts of his body were different. His head was horned, his right face was scaled, and his right arm was a dragon's frontal limb.
(That man, with a dragon's body as well... sure enough, that's the same forbidden arts.)
Gurguit looked at Luard, fallen on the ground and groaning, then looked at the man summoned from Stride. The knight was thinking what should be done.
"Captain, what should we do..."
"Form a circle, surround that man. Misjudging his attack range is risky, narrow the distance step by step!"
"Yes sir!"
After receiving the order, the knights acted quickly, and formed a circle formation as ordered. While the knights were taking action, that man did not move, and only watched the fallen Luard. After the circle formation was complete, Gurguit was going to make the next order, and,
"Oooooorrrrrrrggggghhhh!"
That man made a roar... no, if one watched carefully, it was the man's staff that made the roar. Then,
"Wargh!"
"C-captain!"
Suddenly, the knights making the circle were enshrouded in an eerie blue flame. Although the Stride had made strong winds blow in the place, the blue flame was not affected by the wind. And to extinguish it,
(That can only be neutralized by a power of the same or greater level...!)
"Haa!"
Gurguit judged that there was no alternative solution. He activated Stride Fusion, and made an invisible shockwave. The shockwave, infused with mana, extinguished the flame enshrouding the knights. Nonetheless, the damage from the flame of mana and the relief of being liberated from the fear of death knocked down most of the knights.
"Aaaarrrrggghhh!"
The man made his staff roar again, and the flame of mana attacked Gurguit. But, the latter slashed the air with his sword,
"Though I don't know who you are,"
And the flame disappeared all of a sudden.
"I'll let you return to the spacetime where you came from, as soon as possible."
(This is, Stride...?)
Luard tried his best to maintain his consciousness, and watched the battle between the mage he summoned and Gurguit who had unleashed his true strength.
(That guy, is he protecting me...?)
The mage stood in front of Luard without moving, and fired numberless bolts of light to stop Gurguit from approaching. However, the mage was fighting no common man, but one of the best fighters of the knightly order. Gurguit neutralized the barrage of light bolts with exceptional reaction speed and swordsmanship, and approached Luard and the mage occasionally with leaps.
(Sure enough, that red-haired knight has something up his sleeve... at this moment, I can't do anything to stop him.)
Finally, Gurguit's sword clashed with the mage's staff. But, the dragon arm of the mage blew away Gurguit with a strength exceeding those of common mages, and fired numberless light bolts again.
"Unfortunately, you anticipated wrong."
In fact, Gurguit pretended to be knocked away, and he exploited his opponent's own power to make maneuvers. He raised his sword and prepared for a slash.
"This is the end!"
(Hey, don't lose. I'm fine, so please, fight with your true strength, Mr. Mage I've never met before...)
Before Luard could witness the result of the full-strength attack targeting the mage's abdomen, he lost consciousness.
"What...!?"
Gurguit was very surprised. His horizontal slash, aimed to slay his enemy with a single hit, was blocked by the dragon arm easily.
"You blocked my attack with only one hand!?"
"...Gwaaarrrgghh!"
Although Gurguit was distracted by the dragon arm, he looked up when he heard a beast-like roar from above. That sound came from the mage, who had not spoken a word.
"GGGGGWWWWWAAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!"
The mage's facial expression had changed, into one ferocious like a beast's. Obviously, he had lost his sanity.
"Wu!"
Gurguit blocked the dragon fist, but the overwhelming power was enough to blow him away.
(The Stride lost control because the immature summoner had lost consiousness! But, even so.)
Gurguit stabbed his sword into the ground to reduce the shock. When he took his position again and raised his head, the mage's fist was in front of his face.
"Gwwwaaaarrrgggghhhh!"
"Cough..."
(This is... too strong.)
Gurguit's chin received a powerful blow. The fist's power and speed were beyond his imagination, and his brain received the shock as well.
(Not good... at least, I must block him until he disappears...!)
Those who are summoned by Stride can only stay in the present world for a limited amount of time. This man was going to return to his original spacetime, sooner or later. But, if Gurguit fell down before the unsummoning, anything could happen. It would be possible that all the surroundings would be burnt into ashes.
"Grwaargh!"
Gurguit could be knocked down anytime, but he was standing with only his volition. Although they were exchanging attacks, the difference in power was too big that it was impossible for Gurguit to defeat the mage. So, Gurguit had decided. Until the time limit of Stride ticked to zero, he would do anything to tolerate the earth-shaking dragon fists.
"Haaa...haaa..."
"Ha...ha..."
The attacking mage and the defending Gurguit. The battle might seem one-sided, but fighting the knight in Rampage kept draining the mage's mana. The battle was coming to its end.
"Is this the end... that's ashaming of me..."
Gurguit's radiance dimmed, and his equipment was returning to normal. The depletion of mana deactivated his Stride Fusion.
"Hah!"
The mage took this chance to deliver a blow that would have crushed Gurguit, if he had not been stopped by someone.
"Sorry, I'm late."
"!? Ah!"
The mage turned to the voice's source behind him, and saw a knight in pure white armor. His sword of light grazed the mage's powerful arm, and cut his defenseless body.
Then, he appeared behind the shaken mage, and used the back of his sword to deliver a blow on the mage's neck which was not Dragshifted.
"Ah, ah... I, am..."
The mage could stand no more, and fell to the ground. His sanity was restored before losing consiousness, and would not cause a problem even if he woke up before the unsummoning.
(Though the mage had his mana depleted as well, he was defeated so easily...)
Gurguit had no strength to look at the rescuer knight. However,
(There is only one man who can do this in the Sanctuary.)
A man with talents surpassing even Gurguit's.
"The knights are alive, so I could come here."
The highest-ranked knight of the Sanctuary, and the Grandmaster leading the First Regular Army.
"It's all because you have been holding him off for so long. Otherwise I could not have followed the trails and come."
And, the man admired by Gurguit and all citizens.
"Gurguit, you've done a great service. Please take a good rest."
Gurguit followed this mighty yet gentle voice, and let his consiousness sink into sleep.
Several days after the incident of Rampage, which had not occurred for a long time. Thanks to Gurguit's great work, there were no significant casualties despite the power of the being who was summoned. That made the damage to the temple not cause a severe drop of his reputation. Because of this incident, the Sanctuary examined the security system once more, and many of the incompetent would be sifted out. And about Luard,
"Gugh---!"
He was being transferred to Dark Zone. As a stowaway, he would have been kept in a prison for years. But, as "Stride" was involved in his crime, that was another story.
"Gugh---! Gugh---!"
The newly established research facility of "Gear Chronicle". There was an ongoing research project on depriving the power of Stride-using criminals and those who are on the verge of activating Stride immaturely---that is, the study on sealing Stride.
"Guuuuggghhh---!"
Luard was sentenced to deprivation of Stride and imprisoned in the Prison of Time kept by Gear Chronicle. The sentence was fifteen years, but due to the difference of time flow between the Prison of Time and the outside world, there was no telling how much time would have passed when he could be released.
(Don't screw around... this way, who could get revenge for Big-bro...!?)
If he was transferred to Gear Chronicle, his journey would come to an end. It would be impossible for him to slay the unknown foe. This is why he kept trying to resist, even though his face and body were bound by magic-interfering cloth, and he could activate neither Dragshift nor Stride.
"Gugh---!"
"Stop complaining, and look there!"
"You, I'm older than you, use honorifics!"
"Because senpai looks like a brat from all angles."
"You! Who are you calling a brat!?"
"Senpai, that is."
"You're getting on my nerves---!"