The weapons I forge are absolutely flawless.

The power of this sword strike surprised even Venere himself.

It was during that brief moment of distraction that the burly, dark-skinned man caught him.

The man hurled the half-finished axe handle at Vina's back, and without even checking if he hit her, he turned and ran.

At this moment, Vena naturally wouldn't take this threat seriously, but behind him was Lisette, who was nearly exhausted after unleashing her emblem magic.

With a swing of his sword.

The broken axe handle in mid-air had turned to ashes.

Another wave.

A sword aura shot out and struck the fleeing, burly man directly.

Wherever the sword energy passed, the skin was torn like canvas, revealing deep red muscles.

The muscles were mercilessly torn apart, revealing the stark white bones.

Even so, the man didn't dare to look back, and sped up even more, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

There was only one thought left in Wiener's mind.

Was I really that awesome?

Chapter 6 The Academy's Support

Heraldry: Gondoraf

Basic ability: Proficient in using any type of weapon.

Advanced Level 1: Unleash the true power of the weapon.

--------

"How could you let him escape!"

Seeing that the burly, dark-skinned man had finally escaped, Lisette couldn't help but shout.

If I weren't afraid he'd smash you to death with his axe, I'd probably kill him with a sword strike.

Just as Viner was about to retort, she suddenly felt an unprecedented fatigue.

The dazzling silver light faded from Vina's body.

The Murakami Sword, which had been shining with a cold, silvery light and displaying great power just a moment ago, quickly lost its luster and became dull and lifeless.

Immediately afterwards, a barely perceptible, fine crack spread across the blade.

The entire sword turned into a fine powder amidst a series of subtle cracking sounds.

Wiener tried to open his mouth, as if to say something, but it felt as if something was blocking his throat.

He fell straight down without uttering a single word.

"Oh, I was just talking nonsense. They got away and that's it. Don't scare me!"

Lisette's voice was filled with worry and fear.

She tried to wake Vinarch, only to find that she didn't even know his name.

Wiener's body remained lifeless, like a dead object.

I should have thought of it earlier.

While heraldry is a marvel, it is by no means without a price.

The price to pay for unleashing such exaggerated magical power in such a short time is far beyond what a young boy who has only recently awakened his emblem mastery could bear.

Lisette even thought of a kind of emblem her father had once mentioned, one that could only be used once in a lifetime...

No matter what, he had saved his life, and even out of aristocratic pride, he couldn't abandon his savior.

Lisette slowly bent down and carefully carried the unconscious Venus on her back.

Vina's body was much lighter than she had imagined.

If we bring him to the academy, the professors there will surely have a solution.

"Looks like we're too late."

A figure landed in front of Lisette.

The newcomer was a young girl dressed in a black military uniform with a silver tassel hanging from her chest.

The girl had a beautiful face and a pair of deep, lake-like eyes.

Her capable figure paired with her dashing military uniform made even Lisette, a fellow woman, unable to resist taking a second look.

As a soon-to-be student, Lisette naturally recognized that this was the student uniform of St. Freya Academy.

The girl quickly scanned the traces at the scene and had some guesses in her mind, but she would leave these matters to the professors who would arrive later.

She arrived the fastest, so naturally she had to prioritize the two survivors.

“Your condition isn’t much better either, so leave it to me.” The girl extended her hand to Lisette. “I’m Jessica from the Silver Wolf Class of St. Freya Academy. I’ll get you to a safe place.”

Since one party has already given their name, it is in accordance with noble etiquette to return the name.

“Senior Jessica, I am Lisette von Cordelia, and this is... I don’t know his name yet.”

Lisette introduced herself, but suddenly stammered when introducing Vina.

So she skipped over Vina's identity and gave Jessica a brief account of what had happened, also pointing out the direction the burly, dark-skinned man had fled.

"We were attacked on our way to the academy. The leader was an unidentified emblem wielder, who was seriously injured by this friend and escaped."

"Don't worry, some professors have already explored in that direction. We're sorry we're late, causing you to encounter such danger."

"If it weren't for the big commotion you caused, the academy would probably still be in the dark."

"The college owes you a favor in this matter."

Jessica took Vena from Listy's hands, supporting Vena's body with only one hand, and easily hoisted her onto her left shoulder.

Then he extended his right hand to Lisette and said gently.

Do you need help?

"Uh, thank you for your kindness, senior, but I can manage on my own. It's just..."

Lisette looked at Vina, who was being roughly carried away, and didn't dare to speak.

Jessica immediately saw through Lisette's little scheme and then smiled.

"Don't worry, a Herald Envoy isn't that fragile."

But his expression did indeed become even more unpleasant.

Lisette thought for a moment, but still didn't say anything.

"Senior Jessica, let's get him to the academy for treatment as soon as possible."

"no problem."

----------

"Phew—impossible, absolutely impossible."

The burly, dark-skinned man who had escaped leaned against a tree that was so thick it would take several people to hug it.

Beside him lay a boy who looked about sixteen or seventeen years old, unconscious.

He was bumped into by a burly, dark-skinned man who was fleeing for his life. It's hard to say whether he was lucky or unlucky.

Reason told him that the hero could not possibly be at St. Freya Academy at this time.

But the lingering, stubborn sword light within him once again pierced his nerves.

How could he possibly forget the scene of that monstrous guy wielding the Hero's Sword, unleashing a blinding silver aura and slaughtering indiscriminately?

More than thirty veteran emblem users died without resistance under the sword of that hero, like chickens being slaughtered.

He survived in disgrace by feigning death using only the power of his crest.

"Monsters like that must never appear again...cough!"

"This body is also nearing its limit."

Looking at the blood coughing up from his palm, and then at the boy, the man finally made up his mind.

Using the last of his strength, the man stood up. The dark golden light that had flashed by before now burned as fiercely as flames.

After a long while, the light in the man's pupils gradually faded, and his body collapsed limply.

The boy, who had been unconscious, suddenly opened his eyes.

The boy stood up, stretched his limbs, and felt the changes in his body.

"Only one in ten survives, unless they are forced into a corner."

The boy murmured softly.

He took one last look at the body he had once used, which was now completely lifeless, and his figure gradually disappeared into the dense forest.

And soon after.

"The bloodstains stop here, Professor?"

"Inform the other teams that the target is dead."

Two figures, one old and one young, stood beside the man's battered and broken body.

The two seemed unsurprised by the result.

Already severely injured, he still managed to break through the search team's blockade, and his tenacity in clinging to life until now is remarkable.

"The other search teams have already been notified."

The younger ones reported.

"Carry this body back, then we're back to the group."

The older ones were given instructions.

"Me?" The young man pointed to himself.

"Otherwise, do I have to do it myself?"

The old man blew on his beard and glared at the young man.

Chapter 7 Dr. Ida

"That's enough, hero!"

"We won't let you take another step forward."

"What if I insist on going?"

"Reinforcements have been cut off, and even your hero's sword has been destroyed. If you remain obstinate, today will be your death day!"

"...It's really hard to explain to you."

"It is not the Sword of Heroes that chooses the hero. Rather, only those chosen by the hero are qualified to become the Sword of Heroes."

"I'm in a hurry, so—don't blame me if I die."

--------

Vena slowly opened her eyes and found herself lying on a hospital bed.

The room was simply and neatly furnished, and sunlight streamed through the curtains, casting dappled shadows on the floor.

He felt physically weak, but his mind gradually became clearer.

Viner's memory only goes back to when she used the Village Sword to scare away the burly, dark-skinned man with the blessing of Gondoraf; she has no idea how she got here.

"How long have I been unconscious?"

Wiener slowly sat up, still feeling some pain in his joints, likely a lingering effect of his prolonged coma.

But at least he survived.

That noble lady at least had some conscience; she didn't abandon his body in the wilderness.