“We have no idea where they hid the dagger!”

Yuri said in a loud whisper while hiding behind a corner, Near the old church.

“I have no information that could lead us to it, our best bet is to find someone who knows.”

Pulling his head swiftly behind the corner, Hikaru looked at the guards running past their hiding space.

“We don’t have time to look around for anyone like that, your sister is fast”

Glancing to see if the way was clear, Yuri looked at Hikaru.

“We need to go get the information from the one person we know can be sure of. We need to go interrogate that old archbishop of theirs..”

She decided.

“That is not particularly wise, considering we barely managed to escape out of there.”

“Oh but it is. They’re expecting us to be trying to run away, so they’re going to searching through the city. No one would possibly imagine we would go back into the church, right?”

She smiled and raised an eyebrow at Hikaru.

“...Very well. I think i’ve regained enough mana to at least move properly.”

Lifting Yuri in his arms, he held her closely against his chest.

“Be sure to hold on, i’m still tired so i can’t guarantee i’ll be able to hold you properly.”

“Okay!”

Happily, she wrapped her arms around his neck, enjoying his warmth.

Glancing down at her with a hint of a smile, Hikaru crouched down.

“Let’s go..!”

With a single jump, he had jumped onto a nearby rooftop, and from it, he jumped towards the old church, landing on its roof.

“Hikaru look..!”

Pointing at one of the windows, the form of the old archbishop was clearly standing behind a desk, rummaging through papers.

“I will head inside and ask him, wait for me here.”

Slowly opening the window, Hikaru looked at her seriously.

“I get it, just be quick, or i might have to go down and save you again, princess in distress”

She waved her hand at him, smirking at the image of Hikaru in a dress.

With a nod, Hikaru jumped in through the window, landing on the desk, which broke in half due to his weight. He was still mana fatigued, so he could not move with the same precision as before. The fact that the window was about a few hundred meters above his desk, did not ease his fall either.

“What the!?”

Falling on his behind, the old Archbishop quickly stood up and sucked in air to yell for the guards.

“Do not attempt anything.”

Hikaru moved faster than air, appearing next to the archbishop with a hand around his throat.

Pushing just strongly enough that the archbishop could not exhale much, yet still allowing him to breathe. Hikaru kept his hand wrapped around his throat.

“...Urk...Here to finish me off..you demon who does not accept the love of our goddess..!”

The archbishop wheezed out in a barely audible whisper.

“No. I am not one to hold grudges, what you did, you did for the people. Even if it was misguided.”

Hikaru shook his head.

“I am here for one thing. The dagger you acquired upon our capture. Where is it.”

“The..dagger..!?” The archbishop widened his eyes “I thought-”

“Hikaru! Release the Archbishop!”

Bursting open, the door into the archbishop's office flew off its hinges.

“I did not think you were low enough to attempt assassination,.Perhaps all your accusations were true after all.”

Kenrik entered the office, his hand on his sword.

“...”

Letting go of the archbishop and letting him sink to the floor, Hikaru turned to face Kenrik.

“You are mistaken.I was only-”

“Be quiet! That you escaped with the help of that girl..! Who is she!? Is she your new trainee..”

Kenrik yelled, his eyes were not angry, but simply determined.

“Kenrik..?”

“I have made my mind. You must be taught the truth, the goddess rules your end and loves your soul. Even someone as lost as you can find your meaning. Your true meaning. Not whatever is currently holding you back..!”

With each word, Kenrik took another step towards Hikaru.

“I do not understand your point, Kenrik?”

“My point. Is that i will force you to understand our goddesses love. By beating you in combat. Perhaps then you might realise your true purpose and join us. If not in this life, then in the next. Then we can be as we were in days past.”

Drawing his sword, Kenrik pointed it at Hikaru.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

“...Kenrik..”

Hikaru could only sigh with pity.

He could not talk sense into his old friend who had deluded himself.

So he nodded. If his friend was so far gone. Then he would have to convince him through the only way a knight might understand. Through mortal combat.

“A knight should not surround himself in delusion, Kenrik. A knight slices through it to find the truth. If he does not. He might lose sight of what is truly important to him, of what drives him. Of what is right..in front of him!”

Pulling out a leg out of the broken table. Hikaru moved in such a way, that Kenrik, who was too focused on looking at Hikaru, could not see him.

Kenrik had done one of the simplest most basic mistakes in combat. One must look at the entire scene, instead of focusing on a single target, lest they won’t notice any attack.

Holding the table leg like a nunchuck, Hikaru punched Kenrik in his side with the table leg. Accurately hitting his kidney, and forcing him stumbling sideways.

“You..are the deluded one.!”

Kenrik raised his sword, slashing it Hikaru.

“...Predictable.”

Kenrik raised the wooden leg to block the attack aimed at his neck.

However the attack never moved there, it only appeared to be heading for the neck as it was on its path.

The sword moved towards Hikaru's face.

(A desperation attack? An attack to the face is the most unwanted type of attack. Even if he were aiming at my eyes, no sane fighter would attempt that against a skilled opponent, if i simply move my head, he will miss my eyes, and harmlessly slice my cheek.)

Hikaru knew what he needed to do. He knew the correct next action in a combat scenario.

But there was something that felt wrong. He should let this attack land sloppily. But he could not let it.

Almost against his will, Hikaru raised the wooden leg to parry the sword.

“You are the predictable one.”

Anticipating this action, Kenrik moved his sword back down and slashed at Hikaru’s neck.

“Ugh..”

Managing to just barely move back to avoid serious damage to his jugular, Hikaru was still hit, and was now starting to bleed profusely.

“You say i am deluded. Yet isn’t it you, that is letting something trivial get in the way of your fighting ability.”

Angling his sword down, Kenrik let the blood drip off it.

“Something..trivial..?”

“The fact that you didn’t want your face slashed. It was because of that girl. You don’t want her to see you like that. You’re afraid of what she might think if you looked different. If you did not look good to her tastes.”

Every word Kenrik said, stuck deep in Hikaru, like small daggers, forcing open a chest, revealing the truth inside.

“Now you’re wounded and bleeding when you could have avoided it. A foolish thing. I will wash out that delusion of yours. So fight me with all you have, or you will die!”

Moving towards Hikaru, Kenrik once more slashed at Hikaru’s face.

Unsure and confused, Hikaru could only attempt to block it with the wooden leg. Only to be met with another feint, which slashed his side, his blood moving down his leg and staining the floor.

“Do not tell me you haven’t even properly realised it..or maybe you have, and have just tried not to think about it..?”

“This..strange concern..is because of Yuri..?”

Raising one hand to his face, he thought it strange. He had never been one to care for his appearance. Yet now it was something that mattered more than his life.

How peculiar.

“Face it. While you have become weaker, i have acquired something better than an attachment like that. I have become stronger. Join me. And become strong once more. Then we can protect everyone, protect the people with our strength. With you, an eternal protector. The people would thrive for thousands of years.”

Slowly walking Hikaru, Kenrik gently raised his left hand in an open gesture.

The light coming through the coloured windows of the church shone upon Kenrik. Illuminating him and his message.

“It was always my goal, to protect the people. As a knight that was what i wished for, that is what i still wish for.”

He could not help but feel that Kenrik’s words had impact on his entire being.

“However..” Yet his heart would not waver, now that he could properly realise the truth.

The chest in his heart was finally open, and he could fully understand his previous actions. All his previous actions since he met Yuri.

“I now have something that is slightly more meaningful to me than the people.”

“...Deluded fool.:”

Kenrik raised his sword and swung it at Hikaru’s face.

“It is not delusion. But conviction.”

Now fully aware of the attack and the feints. Instead of trying to predict the feints. Hikaru threw away the wooden leg, and raised his hands towards the blade.

With both of his hands, his fingers tightly gripped around the sharp blade, inches away from his face.

“...What will this conviction accomplish. The only one who will grant you meaning is the goddess. Who can give me back those old days. It’s only the goddess who is capable of that..!”

Pushing harder with his blade, Kenrik put all his force into it.

“...No. The gods do not care for your wishes. The only one who does is you. If you have a wish, then chase after it. This selfishness that humans posses, that the gods are trying to extinguish. It is what drives the world forward. This selfishness that i have learned from humans. Use it. To better yourself and others.”

Gripping the sword tighter still, Hikaru’s hands began to bleed, the blade digging into his bone.

“To deny yourself a part of your heart, means a meaningless existence!”

Twisting the blade, Hikaru broke it half, small pieces of steel flying to the sides.

“The only meaningless existence is yours..!”

Raising his broken sword, Kenrik slashed at HIkaru’s neck, finding the opening to deal the final blow.

“Oh no you don’t!!”

Falling from the sky, Yuri landed with her foot sticking into Kenrik’s face, deeply imprinting her footprint onto his jaw.

Kenril fell backwards, losing his consciousness.

“Kenrik. I found my meaning. You should go and find yours too. I believe you can find it.”

Hikaru said before Kenrik completely lost consciousness. Those were the last words Kenrik would hear from Hikaru.

“What were you doing, you idiot!”

Yuri punched at Hikaru.

“Why did you let him mess you up! You could have won several times during that duel!”

She pouted.

“Forgive me Yuri. I was afraid you would find me unappealing had i been damaged on my face..”

A slap echoed through the office.

“Idiot, i don’t care about your looks. I love you for who you are!”

She pouted angrily at him.

Hikaru could only stare at her, his mouth slightly agape.

“What..?” her face turned redder than red as she realised what she had said.

“N-no. i m-meant.i..”

Crouching down, Yuri covered her face with her hands.

“I didn’t mean..i mean i did...it was just…”

Her voice became a small whisper.

“...It sort of slipped out..”

“Yuri.”

Crouching down in front of her.

Hikaru put his hands over hers, pulling them away from her face.

“I feel the same..”

He admitted, looking into her eyes.

For the first time ever, she discovered a new expression of Hikaru’s.

His face was covered by a slight blush, and his mouth was smiling in a very awkward manner. The light shining upon this rare expression, only added more to its effect on Yuri.

“Cute...”

Her eyes met with his.

“...That’s an interesting face..” She smiled at him, her eyes tearing up due to the embarrassment.

“Do not get used to it..” He smiled back, stroking her cheeks slightly.

“...Hikaru. Your hands. They’re still bleeding right.”

“I believe so.”

Pulling away his hands, He discovered that Yuri’s cheeks were now red with his blood.

“Let’s just...let’s get the dagger, and go before you bleed out and before i..melt.” Yuri felt her entire body heating up in embarrassment and other complicated emotions.

Though she was sure of one thing. She felt a clear sense of happiness surrounding all her confusing emotions.

“Where is the dagger.”

Hikaru stood up and looked at the archbishop who was still cowering in the corner, confused over the whole situation.

“I..i thought you were the ones who stole it back..!”

Was all the archbishop could muster out.

“...It’s gone..?”Hikaru remarked.

While Yuri stood up, wiping her face from tears and blood.

Looking at the broken table filled with papers, he found something strange that was not writing.

It was a small drawing of a sun, on a small paper slightly different than the rest.

“..Sköll got here first.”

Hikaru concluded.

“We were too late. Her being in possession of that much mana..can only mean something very bad.”

His face serious, Hikaru continued looking at the small drawn sun.

While Yuri moved awkwardly in the background, glancing at Hikaru before looking away in embarrassment, her entire face red, and her lips unable to stop smiling to herself, while holding her own cheeks.

She was completely unaware of the seriousness of the situation, her mind only had one thing going through it. Hikaru.