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The middle of the forest was dark, even with the sun directly overhead.
This forest was located on the outskirts of Arcadia, and it was known as the Forest of Fog. The forest wasn’t that big, it was pretty close to the capital, and there were no monsters. Still, it remained uninhabitable due to the thick fog that enveloped it all year round.
Joshua stared at the forest thoughtfully.
“Master!” Cain swiftly ran and stopped next to him. “Are you sure you’re going in there?”
“Why are you not saying anything? Can’t you see that it’s a trap?!” Cain shouted anxiously.
“Cain
” Joshua finally started speaking.
“Yes?”
“I have something to do. And I may have to put my life at risk to accomplish it.”
“...!” Cain’s eyes widened, and he flinched.
This monster of a master would actually have to risk his life? Cain's expression abruptly changed as he exclaimed, “W-what are you trying to do?”
“...” Joshua remained silent.
“You can’t tell even your subordinate?” Cain revealed a worried look. Joshua’s unusual behavior was worrying him. “I want to be my master’s sword. Not merely in name. I want to be known far and wide so that my master won’t have to worry about his back. I want to be the sword of Joshua Sanders.”
Cain locked eyes with Joshua. “Is this really something you can’t tell me?”
He seemed faintly disappointed as he added. “If that’s the case, I’ll stop asking—”
“What made you invest so much time and effort into learning the sword? Is it for your family’s honor?
Joshua slowly walked into the dark forest and replied, “Or is it to be a Master as well? Just like every other knight out there?”
Cain was still hesitating as he stared at Joshua’s gradually disappearing back. In the end, he clenched his fists and said, “I
 I wanted to reclaim my family’s glory in our heyday, and I wanted to save my father from injustice.”
“I needed strength, and Arcadia was the place to find it. Being a knight is the fastest and surest way to gain power in Avalon, the land of knights. That’s why I took up the sword.” Cain looked back and pulled a normal longsword from his waist rather than his distinctive gigantic sword.
Then, he dropped the sword to the floor.
“However, it all changed when I met a man named Joshua Sanders. I wanted to stand next to you, so I decided to practice with another sword.” Cain retrieved the gigantic sword he had come to favor from his back. “Of course, that wasn’t what I thought in the beginning—I was a young knight looking for a master to serve for the rest of my life, so I might as well serve the best.”
“I know,” replied Joshua.
Cain smiled softly and continued. “But I didn’t want to follow someone who has achieved everything. That’s boring. There’s no fun if I can’t prove myself during the process.”
“A sprout with a lot of personality, talent, and skill—but unpolished. That’s what I thought about you at first.” Cain reached out to Joshua with a sad look. “You will never understand how big of a leap that was for me. I thought that if I could somehow get closer to you, even the greatest mountain could be moved
”
Cain’s voice swelled with resolve. “I just want to wield my sword for my master. It’s my will, my dream.”
Joshua became filled with complex emotions as he stared at Cain.
“I know it’s hard to understand. It’s fine; I just wanted to tell you how I feel.”
“I feel the same,” said Joshua.
“Yes?” Cain didn’t know what to say.
“I really wanted to help someone as well.”
“Master
?”
“I feel most alive whenever I am holding this spear, and I feel
 invincible.” Joshua continued walking into the forest. “But
 It’s scary at the summit.”
“What do you mean?” asked Cain, seemingly confused.
Joshua stopped and slowly turned around.
The unexpected side Joshua was showing made Cain unable to breathe.
“I’m glad you found something that makes you happy.”
“Master
”
“You shouldn’t say that your life’s purpose is to be my sword. I want you to do what Cain de Harry wants to do, not what Joshua Sanders wants you to do. I don’t want you to regret it further down the road.”
Cain didn’t know what to say upon hearing the melancholy in Joshua’s voice.
Joshua’s deep eyes seemed to contain all the sadness in the world.
“Still, I—” Cain clenched his fists as Joshua disappeared into the forest. “I don’t think I’ll ever regret the path I decided to take.”
The dry leaves crunched beneath his feet as Cain started moving.
“My life—Cain de Harry’s life—has never been better than the day I met you.”
Cain followed Joshua into the forest.
***
Joshua ran for quite a while inside the Forest of Fog, but he suddenly came to a halt. It couldn’t be helped because he could feel a huge mass of sinister, dark energy just up ahead.
‘A hundred? I am not really surprised. We’re in the heart of Avalon, after all.’
Cain also stopped moving and stood near Joshua. Upon sensing the latter’s hesitation, Cain opened his mouth and said, “I’m going.”
Joshua shook his head at Cain before asking, “Have you ever fought an assassin?”
“An assassin?” Cain pondered for a moment, and then his face darkened. “...Never.”
“Fighting an assassin is different from fighting a knight. Individual strength doesn’t matter as much when fighting assassins. It’s not as simple as a mere sparring, and a B-Class assassin is better than an A-Class Knight in more ways than one
”
“Does that mean that you’re going to
” Cain seemed like he couldn’t believe it.
He knew just how powerful his master was, so why did Joshua say that he would have to risk his life to fight a mere assassin?
‘Assassins are rampant in the whole continent. Even since that person disappeared more than 10 years ago, the organization has been dwindling though
’ Cain inwardly grumbled with wrinkled brows.
“I know what you’re thinking,” said Joshua.
“Hmm?”
“You have to know that you must not underestimate those people. They could even become one of the Stars.”
“...!” Cain’s eyes widened.
“Master!” Cain threw himself forward the moment his instincts cried out to him.
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There was something sharp flying through the air.
However, Joshua was already moving even before Cain could open his mouth.
Sparks flew as Joshua brandished his spear and deflected the incoming projectiles.
Arrows were falling from the sky and from all cardinal directions.
Cain furrowed his brows when he realized that the tip of the arrows was green and glossy. They seemed to have been coated with the most recognizable and deadliest poison out here.
“They must have gone mad for them to attack us,” Cain muttered into the air as he mustered all of his mana.
Suddenly, dozens of black-robed figures emerged from the shadows like smoke.
“What—”
“Don’t come near me!”
Cain brandished his sword warily. “Master?”
However, Cain’s jaw fell to the floor when he saw that his master was smiling.
“Well-concealed footsteps and breathing, your killing intent is also hidden under the veil of darkness. I can’t feel a single trace of life or energy
However, the bloodthirst is apparent in every movement.”
“...”
“Every single move is filled with intense killing intent. I don’t know about others, but for me, that stands out more than anything else.”
Was Joshua making a deduction here? The figures clad in black had no idea, but it seemed that they weren’t interested in Joshua’s words as they retreated back into the darkness to bide their time.
“I’ve traveled the entire continent before, but only one assassin organization left a deep impression on me.”
Joshua thrust his spear into the empty space on his flank, but his spear seemed to have struck something as someone screamed in pain.
“Argh!” a masked figure clad in black coughed up blood. The figure had been aiming for Joshua’s artery and was about to throw his dagger.
“Even the strongest assassins couldn’t kill me...” said Joshua.
Who was he talking to? He seemed to be talking to no one else in particular as Joshua gracefully danced, avoiding a flurry of daggers.
“Three on the right, one on top, two in the back, and finally
” Joshua’s words were immediately followed by a sharp attack from his spear, exactly where he’d said. He stepped forward confidently.
“Ah
!”
“Argh
!”
Another masked assailant fell from the shadows while coughing up blood.
“I knew it; it’s you.” Joshua turned around. His assailants had emerged from the shadows with worried looks, but Joshua didn't even spare them a glance. His eyes were locked on an empty tree five hundred meters away.
Joshua looked like he was meeting an old friend as he said, “I knew you’d be watching. I mean, you’re Galahad’s lover, after all, Evangeline Crepot.”
The masked assailants stiffened upon hearing that.
“Hey, don’t move. Just watch. There’s no way out for you here, and I won’t let you escape, no matter what.” An energy shot out of Joshua’s body. The energy was as dark as the masked assailants. Perhaps even darker, like a fragment of the abyss. The abyss-like energy would surely not grant a peaceful death to those who were unfortunate enough to be struck by it.
However, the dark energy Joshua had mustered was actually too much and too strong for it to only serve one purpose. The dark energy gathered in one place, and Joshua casually spat a command.
“Stand up.”
The dark energy flashed and spread, and two figures started to form.