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Twist of Fate
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(TLN: POV switch)
This job, in particular, is not a burden for me. It just weighs a little on my conscience. To achieve the original goal, I have to steel my heart and scrutinize carefully. Even if the subject is a child. Even if it’s an innocent child brought here by parents blinded by the promise of a high reward. This is for the sake of the child as well. The lives I can protect by acting as this gatekeeper are worth it.
Ah, but I wonder why. Breaking a child’s dreams and hopes still leaves my chest feeling unbearably heavy.
Today, yet another presence that weighs on my chest has appeared. Try harder to hide, just a little more. You’re already caught in my mind’s eye.
—
(TLN: POV switch)
Following Martin-san’s instructions, I walked slowly through the bamboo grove. Even though I felt a chill, it wasn’t the kind of unpleasant shiver caused by cold. It was, rather, a sensation of refreshing coolness.
In summer, this would probably be a perfect place to cool off. But now, it’s a little chilly for the season. Spring breezes, come soon, please.
—Shaa… shaa…—
The sound of footsteps on dirt echoed oddly loud.
At this rate, the lookout will notice me. I have to hold my breath and tread as lightly as possible.
However, the more I tried, the harder it became to breathe, and my heartbeat pounded wildly. I couldn’t walk calmly. And the statue I was told about still hadn’t appeared.
How vast is this estate, really?
—Shaa…—
If you’re not careful, your footsteps will inevitably make noise.
It was daytime, and there was no wind. Even the sound of rustling bamboo leaves was absent. A completely silent world.
Perhaps it’d be easier to make loud noises deliberately, rush straight to the statue, and escape with Light Thruster before the lookout caught me.
No, that would defeat the purpose of the test.
As I debated internally, I finally spotted a statue that matched the description.
The statue resembled a child with a round head, its face carved to look as though its eyes were closed. A red cloth was wrapped around its neck, giving it an eerie impression. Below it, there was a stone basin-like platform. Several gold coins lay there, carelessly unguarded. Not silver or copper coins, but gold coins. A single gold coin was worth 1,000G.
No lookouts seemed to be around.
Maybe there weren’t any lookouts to begin with, and the earlier warning was just to test my courage. Now that I think about it, Martin-san hadn’t explicitly mentioned a lookout.
Feeling anticlimactic, I exhaled and relaxed my shoulders. I picked up just one gold coin in front of the statue. Taking only one was a matter of conscience.
—…—
I might have noticed it by coincidence. In the silent, windless world, I felt a sudden gust of wind. However, it wasn’t natural. It was too fleeting and unnatural to be real wind. My instincts detected something descending from above.
“…!” (Jack)
Startled, I dove forward in a roll to evade it. When I looked back in a hurry, there stood a tall figure wearing a mask, its spear lodged in the ground where I had just been. If I hadn’t moved, I would’ve been skewered from above.
“…” (Masked Man)
The masked man immediately yanked out the spear and aimed it at me. The spear was unnaturally long, nearly matching the figure’s height, with its tip glinting sharp and deadly. Their outfit was predominantly white, with green and yellow patterns woven in, blending seamlessly into the surroundings.
The figure’s torso was slender, almost fragile-looking, and their flowing black hair was so long I momentarily thought they might be a woman. But no, this was a man. I could sense it, intuitively.
“…” (Masked Man)
The masked man remained silent. The mask completely covered their face, pure white and featureless, except for two horns protruding from the forehead. The skin visible beneath the mask was also plain white.
It’s a bit intimidating and scary. There’s a possibility that he will suddenly come at me like it did for Martin-san. However, I am unarmed. Empty-handed. Recently, I’d gotten used to forging swords myself, so I don’t carry weapons anymore. If the other person gets close to me before I can make something, it will be the end of my efforts. I’ll make sure to carry a weapon with me from now on.
While I was lost in thought, the masked man re-aimed their spear. Then, he began to charge at me.
Here he comes—!
“…!” (Jack)
Or so I thought, but he ran surprisingly slowly. It was as if he was just running a little as a warm-up, and he had no motivation at all. There wasn’t even a hint of killing intent. His approach lacked any real vigor.
Is it some kind of feint?
So, I activated the Thread Fist on my right wrist. As I focused power into my right hand, the holy scriptures coiled around my arm unraveled. Revealing an exposed, distorted mechanism and my blood-red, black-streaked right arm.
I activated the Light Thruster. Gliding quickly across the ground, I circled around to the base of the statue and grabbed the gold coin.
Now that I’ve been spotted, I have no choice but to grab the coin and make a run for it. As Martin-san said, surviving with the gold coin meant passing.
Without losing momentum, I dove into the bamboo grove.
At that moment, the masked man appeared in front of me. He was already raising their spear.
“Wha—!” (Jack)
I barely managed to change direction and evade them, leaping upward. Planting my feet on a thick bamboo stalk, I clung to it for support. That was close. I almost got caught.
How did he moved so quickly to block my path?
Looking down from the sky, I saw the masked man holding a long spear. He slashed the bamboo I was holding with the spear, cutting off its thick trunk. The bamboo gradually fell, and I finally lost my support and let go of it.
But there were plenty of other bamboo stalks. I could keep jumping from one to another—
Or so I thought. The masked man was cutting down every bamboo stalk I aimed for. One by one, the bamboo between us disappeared.
Would Martin-san be angry about this?
In the midst of it all, I ran out of footholds, and the gap between me and the ground grew smaller. I tried using the Light Thruster to escape toward the entrance again, but the masked man once more appeared in front of me.
What insane jumping power.
Facing the figure, my heart pounded loudly. I invoked Time Control. Time slowed down, and I could see the trajectory of the spear. He was about to slash horizontally. Falling might be the best way to avoid it. I chose to let myself drop, landing on the ground with a roll.
—I felt a shiver.
The masked man descended from above, aiming his spear directly at me again. This man’s movements had no rhythm, making them hard to predict. He seemed slow and deliberate but moved quickly to block my path and strike. And each swing felt more like a warning than a serious attempt to kill.
I felt a bit annoyed that he was making a fool of me. If I continued to run away like this, he would chase after me and cut off my escape route, so it might be easier to escape if I inflict some damage on him and slow him down.
I grabbed a piece of bamboo lying nearby. The red-black markings on my arm reacted, transforming the bamboo into a sharp longsword. Its surface bore a bamboo-like texture, wrapped in crisscrossing red-black lines as if a net enclosed it.
Compared to the wooden sword I crafted during last week’s fight with Alfred, this seemed far stronger. Then, I held the long sword that was disproportionate to my height.
“…!” (Masked Man)
The masked man froze momentarily, seemingly startled. He must have been surprised by my technique, but I quickly dealt some damage to his leg and then ran away.
Take that!
I swung the sword with thruster speed. However, the man deflected my sword with a movement that was unrecognizable from his earlier speed.
Huh… did he hold back until now?
I didn’t care and continued my attack. However, my longsword couldn’t avoid the man’s spear.
We exchanged rapid sword clashes like a falcon’s windstorm. The reach of both weapons created a deep distance between us.
If I can’t manage with this speed…
――Thump…
My heart started beating even faster. The blood flow circulating through my body greatly enhanced my perception and motor senses, surpassing time itself. The masked man could barely keep up with my speed. Additionally, the disadvantage of his spear caused many openings. I didn’t miss any of them. I didn’t hesitate to cut the shaft, full of openings, cleanly in two. With a sharp crack, the spear was split in half. The fight was surely decided. I stopped my attack with that final strike.
…However, even without his weapon, his movements didn’t stop. He skillfully switched between the two halves of the spear, holding them in both hands, and continued attacking me with dual wielding. I was caught off guard and was struck in the face. I was knocked backward.
“…Ugh!” (Jack)
“…!” (Masked man)
The man came at me again. The single long spear had seemingly transformed into two light maces. In fact, it seemed like the masked man’s specialty was dual-wielding swords, judging by how well he wielded the weapons. I was barely able to respond. The distance between us kept shrinking. His agile attacks were faster than the previous spear, and now there were twice as many weapons.
I stepped back, and eventually, the bamboo sword was knocked away. The sword turned back into plain bamboo and shattered into pieces. Afterward, I was struck and slashed several times. At this point, I had no choice but to focus on evasion. I switched tactics and moved into a boxing stance, but the relentless rain of blades was impossible to avoid. The numerous bamboos surrounding us were steadily shredded and tossed into the air. While the surroundings were violently scattered, the man’s movements remained unusually quiet and refined.
――If you manage to come back, I’ll consider it a success. But you’ll surely die. (Martin)
Martin-san’s words flashed before my eyes like a revolving lantern. The masked man attacked with two weapons at once. He must have been aiming to deliver the finishing blow.
――Chomp, chomp, chomp…
My heart reached its limit, beating faster and faster. The world seemed to slow down incredibly, and all around me, the shattered bamboo pieces floated in the air. The weapons coming toward my neck moved as if in slow motion.
In this slow world, my body was unaffected. And my right arm, with its Thread Fist. I struck all the floating bamboo fragments with my right arm, forming many small knives. And then, as my heart reached its limit, the power of Time Control was released all at once, and time resumed its normal flow. I was unable to maintain my posture after swinging my arm awkwardly, and I almost collapsed sideways.
――A dry sound rang out.
One of the bamboo knives hit the man’s plain white horned mask. At the same time, I tumbled to the ground. The man’s mask split in half, revealing his face.
“…!” (Jack)
I recognized that face well. The man looked momentarily shocked at having his true face revealed and stopped his attack.
“…Fu” (Masked Man)
But I was the one who was shocked.
“T-Tristan!” (Jack)
“Jack” (Tristan)
Both of us spoke each other’s names.
“It’s been a while. You’ve gotten stronger.” (Tristan)
A long-awaited reunion with my mentor. It seemed that he had known it was me from the start. I was so moved that I couldn’t speak. While I struggled to find words, Tristan remained very calm.
“I’ve been looking for you. For the past six months.” (Tristan)
“…W-why…” (Jack)
Tristan’s hair had grown out quite a bit. He already had a handsome face, but the long, shiny hair made him even more striking.
“I have a lot of questions too. That power of yours, your body…” (Tristan)
Tristan walked over to me as I lay on the ground, extending his hand. I grabbed it, and he easily pulled me to my feet.
“We should talk once we’re back. I’m sorry I hurt you.” (Tristan)
The last time I saw Tristan was during the first infiltration into the Gala Ruins, so it felt like a long time ago in terms of my perception of time. I was deeply moved by the reunion with my mentor.
“You’ve really mastered swordsmanship. I’m glad you’re still alive, Jack.” (Tristan)
Tristan gently placed his hands on my back. Those hands were the same ones that had once protected me when I was a coward.
—
Tristan and I returned to Martin-san and Alfred. When Alfred saw Tristan, he froze.
“…T-Tristan, why are you here?” (Alfred)
“Fred, huh? You look a lot older.” (Tristan)
“Shut up! Who asked you?” (Alfred)
They exchanged a couple of rough jokes, and the emotional reunion ended. For these two warriors, the red and white opposing forces, such moments might no longer suit them. They’d been adventurers together for far longer than me. Even after being apart for half a year or so, this was all that needed to be said. Reunions between long-standing comrades didn’t need any formal greetings.
“So, if you’re here, does that mean this is some serious matter?” (Alfred)
“Well, ask Martin-san about that.” (Tristan)
Tristan turned to Martin-san and spoke. The old man, who had been watching the exchange with his arms crossed, seemed to have realized something and opened his mouth.
“Ah, right. Jack, you passed.” (Martin)
“…Wait, Martin-san, did you plan for me to meet Tristan?” (Jack)
“Plan? You were the one who came to take this test, so I don’t know.” (Martin)
“But you realized he was Tristan’s companion when Fred and I arrived, didn’t you?” (Jack)
“That’s true, but I didn’t really care. Maybe it’s just fate’s whim.” (Martin)
Fate, huh… I had originally planned to search for Tristan. It seems a little too convenient for us to meet here by accident.
“Now, come along. I’ll let you into the main building.” (Martin)
With that, the old man slowly began walking, kicking the ground with his straw sandals.
“Tsk, if he’s this close, you should’ve come back sooner.” (Alfred)
“Did you say something?” (Tristan)
“Nothing!” (Alfred)
Alfred grumbled, and Tristan smiled faintly at his usual blunt attitude.
“I know it’s not the right time, but later I’ll send you a celebratory drink. However, I have to say something first.” (Tristan)
“…Huh?” (Alfred)
“Congratulations.” (Tristan)
“What’s that about?” (Alfred)
“Lindsay.” (Tristan)
…Tristan knew about Lindsay’s pregnancy. If Tristan hadn’t been around, it meant he had been secretly observing them from time to time.
“…You’re a real pain.” (Alfred)
“There’s such a thing as manners, you know.” (Tristan)
“Then, just go home and celebrate already.” (Alfred)
Alfred threw a powerful right straight punch, but Tristan effortlessly dodged it. Watching their exchange was oddly nostalgic, and I felt a sense of relief.
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