Crest of the Strongest Knight

Chapter 40 - Awakening

A second later, Medrauta's blade pierced his chest and he fell to the ground, motionless.

The bandit's sword was light in Medrauta's hands. Weightless, even. The newfound strength coursing through her body made her feel as though she could do anything. As though she was truly free.

She wanted to test her limits, and she found herself wondering if she could cut another weapon in half, and when she turned to face the other bandit who had been approaching her, she decided to try it out.

The bandit's blade swept across the air in a wide horizontal slash. Avoiding it with a sidestep would have been impossible, meaning that Medrauta's only option was to step backward.

But the slash was merely intended to set up the bandit's next attack. The moment the girl stepped back, he would—

CLANG!

"...Huh?"

"Oh. It worked," Medrauta remarked as she regarded her weapon with a measure of curiosity.

She had stepped into the cut and parried with an attack of her own, putting all her newfound strength into it in an attempt to bisect her opponent's weapon.

It had worked, but not as she'd imagined. Though the blades were not of cheap make, they were not made to withstand the incredible strength at a knight's disposal. Even one who was only six and malnourished.

Both blades had snapped. Medrauta and the last remaining bandit found themselves holding a hilt and half of a sword.

Even so, half a blade was enough to kill.

Medrauta moved in and swung her broken sword down onto the bandit's head, splitting it open and killing him instantly. At last, she faced the sole remaining bandit with an almost bored look in her eyes.

After killing the other bandits, she now understood she could kill him with ease. The only problem was that he held the pink-haired girl close, and his sword was placed against her neck.

"Don't come any closer! I'll kill her, I will!" He shouted in fear.

Medrauta stopped in place, considering the man's words.

"T-That's right... Nice an' easy. Stay put and lemme get on my horse..." The bandit said as he began backing away with the girl in tow.

Meanwhile, Medrauta tore the pommel off her sword.

"W-What are you doing!?"

Smack!

The man's muscles relaxed, and his sword fell uselessly to the ground as a crater appeared in his skull. Medrauta had ended him rightly.

She dropped the broken weapon and moved toward the pink-haired girl.

"Are you a—" It was only then that Medrauta stopped herself. She had extended a hand toward the girl, but that hand was not hers.

It was sullied with blood, and even now, that blood dripped from her skin and onto the dirt beneath.

...Did I... Did I really kill four people...? With the adrenaline in her veins now fading away, the horror of realization slowly began to set in for Medrauta. A cold chill ran down her spine.

N-No... It was only right... They were trying to kill me... They were trying to kill her! Medrauta shivered, her body shaking profusely. Though they were bandits, they were still human. Up until today, the most Medrauta had done was punch a few boys her age, but here she was, standing before four corpses with bloodstained hands.

Bile rose up in her throat. She gagged, preparing to vomit.

Suddenly, there was a gentle warmth around her hands. Medrauta looked up to see the star-pupiled eyes of the pink-haired girl, and her own eyes widened in surprise.