“Ouch.”
“Sit still.”
“It’s not like I’m doing this on purpose… Okay I am.”
Not lying is harder than it seems.
“Haa. Just the bandages now.”
“You didn’t have to do this.”
“...I’m tired of asking why, so at least tell me how you did this.”
Even after honestly answering I did it to prove myself, she doesn’t believe me… or is in disbelief.
“How, hm? Do you know I was taught how to fight?”
“Most of us are nowadays.”
“...I guess it’s true in these regions. Anyway, the first thing I learned about a fight is one simple thing… You should treat it as a dance.”
…It was the second actually, but that’s not the point.
“...So it was our first dance then? How romantic~... No, wait, how many people did you dance with before… don’t answer that, I regret thinking about it.”
…
“Right. I’ll continue… During a dance, rhythm is almost more important than difference in strength. And the one who sets that rhythm is the one to win a fight.”
“I don’t get how it’s connected to-”
“I followed your eyes.”
“Hm?”
“You were always looking at my weapon or generally at my torso to keep me in your sights, right?”
“True. It’s easier to react to any attacks or counter-attacks that way.”
“It might be so, but you tend to look at my lower body when landing a straight hit.”
“...Don’t misunderstand please, it was to keep your legs in my sight.”
“Although it’s an obvious decision, it made your vision narrow, easier to fool, so I did just that.”
“...just like that? Took a risk and it paid off?”
“No. But if there was no other choice, I would.”
“Then?”
“I checked your blind spots, obviously, faints exist for a reason.”
“I saw through it, it was merely… one…”
“One that you saw. I threw four before going for it.”
“...That must’ve been your plan, going defensive to catch me off guard, not bad.”
“Not quite, I simply knew I had no chances in a head-on fight… Know your enemy and know yourself.”
“Another thing you learned from your family?”
“Yes, and no. Had to read quite a few books before beginning my practice… but in the end I didn’t even think about what I read, so they pushed me around until I did.”
“Reminds me of how I used to learn. Either you perform well or you get hit.”
“...”
Although we went through a similar experience… our outlook on those memories is entirely different.
While I always unconsciously smile when I think back about my time in the family, she… she has this tired look.
I don’t want her to be tired. Would a hug help?
“Ca-”
No, what am I even thinking?
“*Cough* It’s getting late, I better go back.”
“...Okay…Ahm, Roland?”
“Yeah?”
“Are you… good at dancing? The regular one.”
“I… I am? But I don’t know any dance from this- from here.”
“...I see.”
She…
I can tell she’s embarrassed to ask.
“...Do you want to dance? Ophelia.”
“Well~, if you’re asking me to, then I don’t mind.”
“Here? Now?”
“What? No! There’s time and place for that!”
“Then?”
“...I’ll think of something… Oh wait! Actually! There’s this festival coming! Do you want to go together?”
The festival…
The festival of Ice and Fire.
…I always went there with her.
“...Yeah, I’d love to.”
“Yes! We’ll need to do some preparations before that! It’s in 3 weeks so we have more than enough time… I’m actually so excited!”
“No problem… but I need to go.”
“Yeah, bye Roland.”
“Bye…Ophelia.”
.
.
That festival.
It’s the beginning of the end.
The last festival me and Ophelia attend in most playthroughs.
.
But it won’t be this time.
I need to get stronger.
I need more tools.
I need…
.
.
.
I’ve come here.
It’s been a while since I went to the Tower.
The Novice Tower.
All that’s left is the last ten floors.
The hardest, yet most important step.
And this time I prepared properly.
My Pocket is filled with useful things… it’s a shame I can’t use it in combat.
I even put on some armor.
It was light armor that I actually stole from the cult.
…They didn’t seem to care much.
I usually neglect armor, as avoiding attacks requires mobility, which armor takes away from you.
But it proved to be a mistake… from a dozen wounds I got so far.
I’ve been underestimating my enemies, and overestimating my body.
It’s simply a matter of training to get me up to par with the monsters in the tower… but that’s not enough.
I need to be stronger.
Much stronger.
And the best way to achieve that is by pushing myself.
Training is good and all, but nothing beats a real fight.
And the rewards are also as useful as the experience I’ll get.
.
Okay.
No more putting it off.
No more excuses.
I’m going in.
.
.
.
Left shoulder, avoid to the right.
Thrust, strafe to the right.
Broad swing, step back, prepare for a sword from above.
Finally, an opening.
My turn.
Hit the leg to break the balance.
Follow with a straight kick into a round kick.
*Clank* *Crack*
Shit. This hurts.
*Thud*
He’s down.
…
It’s over.
…
How fucking stupid am I?
Getting stronger, getting better… I’m going to fucking die at this rate.
A skeleton knight.
It’s an enemy with an easy pattern… except, I can’t fucking use my spear.
My hands are too messed up to even hold it.
I’ve had to fight with only my legs right after the first battle.
Fucking ridiculous.
I’m so glad I didn’t skip leg day.
My close quarter is still not up to standard though.
This was the 99th floor.
Fortunately there were some puzzles in between, so I somehow scraped through.
…But it’s not over yet.
.
.
I need to stand up.
The last floor is still there.
I rested enough.
*Crack*
“Shit!”
*Thud*
My fucking leg!
…It seems to be broken.
I need to put a splint on it.
.
Where the fuck is it! It’s ridiculous how hard it is to find stuff in a Pocket! The game never specified any of this!
.
.
*Sigh*
…Not my first rodeo, it’s fine.
I… I will move on.
Here’s the door.
.
A new place.
Unfamiliar.
It’s a throne room of sorts.
Doesn’t seem to be any specific one.
Just a vague interpretation created by the Tower.
Is this a puzzle?
I hope it is.
Even if I don’t know the solution to it, a fight is… it’s impossible in this state.
…It’s pretty big.
Light seems to be too artificial.
It’s coming from all the windows at once.
Although it’s not uncommon for aesthetic purposes in this world.
People called it level design, but the authors just said that the windows actually had such a function.
.
Hm?
…Oh no.
Who… who is that?
An… an enemy?
Sitting on the throne.
It''s a man, wearing an adorned armor.
His face is covered by a helmet…
This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.
And he’s strong.
Really… strong.
I can’t win this.
He stood up.
A greatsword in his hand.
Not just any greatsword…
No…
I recognize it.
A Hero.
A Hero of legends.
Why?
Why is he my enemy?
I can’t beat him.
How could I ever?
He was among those that history couldn’t forget because of countless images of him.
Valiant.
His name itself embodies honor.
His feats had no need to be recorded for their impact still echoes to this day.
Even the most noble among Heroes looked up to him… even Xabi talked about him.
…and now…
He’s pointing his sword at me.
.
I’m fucked.
.
.
.
No.
No, no, no!
It’s not time to give up.
Think Michael. Think!
Deep breath.
Current situation doesn’t allow for straightforward combat, I would usually assume defensive stance, baiting and fainting to land some blows and learn his patterns as I have no prior knowledge of his abilities. I might scrape some possible powers he possesses from my mind if I start piling all the information I have on him, but that ultimately is useless. The main thing I need to know, I already know, it’s that his power is overwhelmingly higher than mine, one wrong move and I’m dead, there’s no way to block, and I doubt I can avoid even one of his attacks. Not with my current leg, and not even if it wasn’t broken, so I need to avoid combat whatsoever, but how do I win without fighting, there is no time for traps, assassination is out of the question, and my current tools are limited, nothing that could help me land a hit, and any attack artifacts would need me to be able to at least graze him, which is impossible. What can I use in this room? Maybe this is a puzzle after all? What is there, what can I use? Curtains, windows, pillars, chairs too far, carpet, chandelier too high, candles on top of it, useless, nothing else. An empty space in the middle, clearly designed for a fight, I’m not having it. Were there any similar fights in other Towers? If the theme of the Tower fits, the solution might be the same or at least similar. Return, Mirror, Illusion, Fear, Copy, different Trials, History Towers, yes, yes! That’s it, this is almost exactly like a History Tower that reenacts a specific event of the past. In those you play a role of a real person, you either need to follow the history to a T or achieve a better outcome. But I didn’t get any status windows that would explain my character, nor do I think this sort of situation could have ever happened, so this is not it. However, Valiant might be similar to NPCs inside that Tower. That would mean he isn’t just a mindless mob. But he could be, just as all other enemies in this Tower. This is a risk. a big risk. Although, what other choice do I have?
.
.
“Hoo~. Sir Valiant?”
A step.
No reaction.
“Sire, it’s me, do you recognize me?”
Forward…
.
.
Please.
.
“...”
No…
Don’t do this.
“Si–”
“Who… are you?”
He… he spoke.
He spoke!
“Sire! I’m so glad you’re of sound mind!”
“Stand right there.”
His sword is still pointed at me.
But this is good.
Extremely good.
I can work with this.
.
.
.
Valiant held his greatsword firmly, still showing that he didn’t trust me.
I didn’t move so as to not try my luck any further.
“Answer.”
This is the most important part.
“I’m a knight.”
“Which order.”
“...I do not belong to an order, just a private knight, sir.”
“Hm.”
It’s working.
My knowledge of the history of this world is much better than in my previous world.
I know exactly how the knight system works now, and how it worked before.
Only powerful knights could become a part of an order, I’m not even close, so he would see right through it.
“Where are we?”
Oh, this here is important.
“...Sire?”
I need to imply that he should know this.
“Speak.”
“...We are inside of a Tower, Sire Valiant.”
“...”
He finally put his sword down.
I need to pressure him further.
“Sire. If I may be so rude to ask… Did you perhaps lose your memory?”
“It appears so.”
“That is unfortunate… Should I tell you about recent events?”
And this… this is a gamble.
“...Yes. Report.”
I do not know which version of Valiant this is.
The one during his march toward his death, waging war on the church, during his time in the Great Demon War, or some other?
The safe bet is to explain this as a part of one of countless battles for a Tower.
They happened all the time back in the day.
Towers were more common, as they disappeared after some amount of use.
But on the off chance that this version is the one that is older, or, I guess, younger? And was in the middle of the Great Demon War, he would have less reasons to enter a Tower, that would make me seem suspicious, I need to figure out which part of history he is from.
…This is a gamble.
“The Church was fighting a losing battle, so we got a chance to enter, some of them ran in, but there were more of us, so you decided to split forces, leaving Dawn Order to defend, while Noon was in charge of clearing the Tower.”
“I see…”
It seems I got a jackpot.
He holstered his sword.
“But.”
He put his hand on the sword handle again.
“Why are you here then?”
His tone was demanding, more aggressive than before.
I was prepared for this.
“...Sire Valiant. I have a family to feed.”
“...”
Even without seeing his face, I could tell he understood… and was disappointed.
Greed is not uncommon among knights.
Especially those not belonging to an order and not serving a lord.
During the time when the Kingdom was not just a pawn of the Church, but a political force to be reckoned with, being a knight was a noble and profitable profession.
But now… as well as during the war with the Church, they became no more than used weapons soon to be discarded.
It was impossible to go against the Church in a world like this to begin with.
So knight became a synonym for vagrant.
And in modern times, knights are merely a tradition that the current Kingdom sustains to keep some of its dignity.
…just a bunch of bodyguards and policemen, not even close to the glory of their predecessors.
“You fought?”
“Yes.”
“Who?”
“Monsters, you were the first I’ve met, Sire.”
“How long were you in here?”
“It’s… it’s hard to tell. But I have managed to amass some treasures, among those was food and water, do you wish for anything, Sire?”
My Pocket isn’t the best at storing food and water, but I have some, might as well try to get some points this way.
“No need, instead tell me where we are.”
…more for me.
“Not much I can tell you Sire, only that there were 9 doors prior to this one.”
“9… Then this could be the last one, they usually set an even amount.”
“...”
He looked around, immediately finding a door behind the throne room.
“It’s here, let’s go.”
This is my chance.
He’s going straight at it without looking at me.
Be it confidence or trust, it doesn’t matter, he turned his back on me.
Although I had a plan for it, I’ll have to use my trump card here.
Poison that can kill even him.
It’s not instant, so I’ll have to also use a smoke. It won’t help for long, but hopefully that will be enough.
Now, I need to find the Poison Syringe in the damn Pocket.
.
.
“Those Towers always give me trouble, the door seems to be closed.”
…of course it is, I can only leave after killing you.
Here! Found it!
Time to-
“Heave-ho.”
*BOOM* *CRASH*
-kill?
.
.
Did he just fucking break through?
Through the damn Tower?
“Come, too early to marvel at my strength.”
“Y-Yes Sire!”
…I think the poison won’t work on him.
.
.
So, what now?
I really don’t know.
I reckon the Tower itself also is struggling with this situation.
We are currently going in a corridor with no end.
Just a long corridor, no enemies, no puzzles and no rewards either.
We’ve been at it for about 20 minutes now.
…
What do I do?
“Sire?”
“Speak.”
“Have you… been in this sort of Tower before?”
Maybe he knows?
“No. I have not.”
…
I have no clue.
“...did it break?”
“Perchance.”
…
Why the hell is he so calm?
“Si-”
“I have a question for you, young knight.”
“Y-Yes?”
“What is thine purpose?”
Why so formal?
“As in?”
“...You do not know the password.”
Shit!
.
.
“Need to rest?”
…or not?
“What password?”
Is he intentionally keeping me on the edge?
“Secret service of the Royal Family’s passcode. They are obliged to answer with “Kingdom’s prosperity”.”
And he… just told it to me?
“Are you planning on killing me Sire?”
“Have no fear, they disbanded not long ago, it is not much of a secret anymore.”
I’m actually going to have a heart attack with this sort of roller coaster.
“...Then why ask it of me?”
“You resemble the members.”
“Me? How so?”
“...I can not describe it. It is merely an observation from interacting with them.”
…I think he has trouble remembering that… better not pry.
I don’t really know much about the Secret Service. Not of the Kingdom at least… Do they still have it?
Wait… Isn’t it a great opportunity to get some info?
While I know a lot, I cannot possibly know more than him, can I?
“Sire…Do you mind telling me about your deeds?”
“Hoh, are you a fan?”
“Who isn’t?”
“Hoho, I can’t say no after that.”
He seems to be less strict than I thought?
Or maybe that’s just how he speaks with soldiers.
“I have a great story to tell you. It’s one from my teenage years.”
“Oh?”
There weren’t any mentions of Valiant as a teenager in the game.
“Those were times of peace, times when children could dream of stupid things and not food or shelter. I was one of those kids, dreaming of something unachievable. And my wish was to meet an Angel.”
…arrogant bunch.
“...arrogant beings.”
“Huh?”
Did he say that or did I?
“Do not think of me as a heretic for this. That is simply my observation.”
“I-, could you tell me why you think so?”
I agree, but can’t just tell him that, might raise suspicion.
“Certainly, that brings us back to the story. In my search for them, I looked all over the continent, read books, spoke to priests, even some bishops, but no matter what I did, there was no way to meet them. It is said that Angels come down to Eden from Heaven only on a call from an Archangel… but as you know, those disappeared long ago.”
It’s common knowledge.
Raphael, Michael, Gabriel… and the one we don’t talk about.
They are Archangels who were once living on Eart- Eden.
There isn’t too much knowledge left about them, since the written history only goes back as far as 500 years, but we know enough.
“I could only hope to find one of them… And so I searched.”
Insane. Even in the game it was a fruitless endeavor, so nobody even tried much.
“I started with the last known information about each. Michael was always elusive. Only coming out during times of war, or to fall a mighty beast… However his sword did not heed the call of its master for many decades.”
I actually tried quite hard to find traces of him, and especially to get that sword.
…and it was definitely not because of name similarity.
“Raphael had a following that documented his every move. He has more resembled a king than an angel, even hiding his wings when conversing with people. But that one took after Father way too much, he spoke in such riddles that they were somehow even harder than God’s.”
They actually never showed the riddles of Raphael in the Fallen Paradise. All they said about them is how hard and incomprehensible they were.
“His last words were a riddle that I couldn’t dare try and decipher.”
Understandable, honestly.
“So I turned to Gabriel.”
The only sane one.
He was the one who helped with major technological progress in this world, as well as established the Academy.
“His whereabouts were hidden by the church during times when he was active, but I managed to borrow some records, so I could pinpoint a few locations where he appeared more so than others.”
…borrow?
“*Cough* And so I went to each one”
…Unvaliant behavior aside, this is some important information that I could use.
“Some were public places, some were empty, but at one location, I found a man.”
“Where was it?”
“Curious, huh? It was in a village with no name on the border between the Kingdom and the Holy Empire’s land, so I doubt you’ll find it now.”
War destroyed it, is what he meant… But I think I have an idea of which village he’s talking about.
“A hut that was too worn out to even be used as a shelter. There he was…”
“Gabriel!?”
“Haha, no, no, I’m just pulling your leg, as I said before, it was just a man. An information broker.”
“Ah…”
So it’s the same.
The game had that place, except it was a bit different for a player…
The broker was there, but he didn’t only sell your usual stuff, but also had a whole section on stuff like hints, knowledge about the system, as well as recollection of past events, a journal if you wish.
You can also find him near the 3rd campus of the Academy actually.
Might pay him a visit to make sure it was only a game feature.
“Do not be disheartened, as it is not the end of this tale.”
“...”
Right.
…damn, I enjoy this more than I should.
“That man wasn’t ordinary. Although I have never met him after that encounter, information he wields is more dangerous than he thinks… I just hope he is on our side, but regardless. As a jest, I asked him for information on where to find angels. And to my surprise, he said he knew. Not a joke or a lie. He said they were here, in Eden.”
“That’s…”
True. Albeit, they were in hiding.
“Impossible, I know. He then named a price for that precious information. A price too much for a teenager to bear… But after kindly asking him to lower it, his kind nature took over and he gave it to me for free.”
“...”
It seems not everything about Valiant was recorded in history books.
“A ridiculous tale is what I got. First I cursed at him, for fooling me, but he assured me that it would work. I spent some time with him to make sure he wasn’t lying, before setting off.”
…poor guy.
“Although it’s not something you can replicate, but listen to the process to summoning an angel.”
“Wait, summoning?”
“Yes, ridiculous, I know.”
“But didn’t you say that they were already in Eden?”
“Well that’s what he told me, but I doubt that one was true, he said that to pique my interest… I assume.”
“Ah.”
He didn’t.
That’s what I know… but summon?
It never appeared in the game.
…I need to hear it.
“So. All you need is to burn an angel’s feather in a purple fire.”
What?
“Demonic flame?”
“Yes, another name for it.”
“You… burn it?”
It’s a legendary tier of miscellaneous loot.
You can enhance weapons and armor with it, use it for potions, sell it for a fortune or even just consume it for a permanent buff to divinity.
…and you burn it?
“And for a reason you’d expect. It angers them deeply.”
“Oh, that makes sense.”
“So I did that in a remote area, far away from society. Three of them came down from the sky.”
“Three!?”
Just one is enough to rival an army of demons!
“Yes. They were quite enraged by my action.”
“...How did you survive?”
I don’t think they were of low rank either… and he was a teenager back then?
“I beat them before apologizing.”
“...”
I shouldn’t be surprised anymore.
“They didn’t want to talk to me at all, looking at me as if I was some sort of heathen. I didn’t defile God’s name, nor did I kill a Saint, but they treated me like an Archdemon. All I did was burn a feather! That’s not even a sin!”
“...”
I should be careful around him.
“...Anyway. That’s pretty much it. They esc- returned soon after. And that is why I consider them arrogant.”
Quite a character he is.
“How did you get the feather in the first place?”
“...I borrowed it.”
“...I see.”
Better to leave it at that.
.
.
.
I don’t think this has an end…
Damn it, should I really try and kill him?
“Say, young knight.”
“Yes, Sire?”
“I have yet to hear your name.”
“Oh, it’s… it’s Michael.”
Now saying my real name feels like a lie…
“A splendid name. Pray tell, Michael, do you have any stories to tell?”
“Me? You jest, Sire, how can mine compare to yours?”
“Why compare? This walk has been boring even to me, so I ask of you to entertain this old man’s whim.”
“I wouldn’t dare refuse… but what should I tell you, I’ve got no such glorious stories to my name as you Sire.”
“It doesn’t have to be… You mentioned your family, tell me about them.”
…
“That… Well, There’s also not much to tell… Only one is left, and even she isn’t blood-related.”
“*Cough*... Excuse my… lack of knowledge.”
“No-no, I would never blame you.”
“...So you’re here… for her?”
“Yes.”
“There are better ways to earn a living, boy.”
“That’s… That’s not the only reason I’ve come here.”
“Hmm?”
“...I wish to protect her… but I lack strength.”
“Oh-ho, so you wish to become her knight in shining armor then?”
…Although his tone is playful…
“The world is in turmoil, Sire. My wish is pure, she is in danger. And not just she. So I need the strength to protect them.”
“...Your words are worthy of a knight, Michael.”
.
It’s… pleasant to hear that from Valiant himself.
“...Thank you, Sire.”