Lost Sword story · Main story, Part 1
Chapter 48: Overcoming the Trial
5 scenes, 264 lines
1. The Saint Monastery
59 linesA week had passed since that day.
The war, once deemed hopeless, had reached a standstill, as the Allied Nations rallied one by one to join the fight.
The allied army split into three forces and began a long-term siege.
The 1st Army remained behind to defend the abbey.
The 2nd Army moved through the forest, aiming to cut off supply lines and strike at Pennsylvania.
And finally, there was the decoy unit, formed to draw enemy attention away from the second force.
I declined to join the main forces and volunteered for the decoy unit.
I just couldn't face everyone... not after what happened.
......
Every time I raise my sword, I hear Bedivere's scream.
Every time I close my eyes, I see her tear-streaked smile, drenched in blood.
The fact that I was the one who killed Bedivere... clings to me like a shadow.
Swordbringer... Knight of the Grail... What does any of that matter?
I couldn't even protect one of my own!
So I kept swinging. I didn't stop.
But no matter how many foes I cut down...
In the end, there's only emptiness. Because no matter what I do, Bedivere... she's not coming back.
S-Swordbringer!!
Tiamat's Apostle has appeared at the monastery!
I-I don't know...
All I saw was the Apostles and their followers appearing out of thin air in the sky...
And they started searching for Princess Elizabeth!
Dame Tristan is holding them off, but I don't know how long she can last!
Swordbringer?
Tristan! Where's Elizabeth?! And the Apostles?! Is the battle over already?!
Okay, okay, calm down! I have no idea what you're talking about! What Apostle? What battle?
Wait... what? But the messenger just said the Apostles were...
You've been pushing yourself way too hard. Did you just wake up or something?
The cultists retreated back to Titania after that day.
That spell took a huge toll on them, too.
Even Tiamat's followers need time to recover.
......
Now that I think about it, she's right.
Even if the Apostles are powerful, there are limits to what they can do.
There's no way they could've taken out Lua and Merlin in that short span of time.
Then... who was that messenger?
..!
I went to bring her meal after the meeting...
But she was gone. We can't find her anywhere in the abbey.
What if she was kidnapped?!
......
Strangely enough, my first emotion wasn't panic, it was unease.
A creeping feeling that we were all dancing on someone else's strings...
S-Swordbringer! The cultists have breached the abbey!
Apostle Iscariot is with them!
And just like that... my unease became reality.
Their target wasn't me... it was Elizabeth.
Isolde, Tristan, head out of the abbey, now!
Elizabeth's in danger!
But before we could get far, we were forced to a halt.
Children of faith, the day of salvation draws near.
Burn your bodies and your souls, and prove your devotion!
For Tiamat!!!
2. The Saint Monastery
34 linesMeanwhile, in the northern forest near the abbey...
The Allied Forces had uncovered an Imperial supply depot and were preparing for battle.
......
But their morale... was at an all-time low.
(The only reason the Allied Nations ever managed to unite against the Empire...)
(...was because of the Swordbringer and his companions.)
Four heroes who defied the Britannian Empire and carved their victories into legend.
The Allied Nations had come this far, chasing the hope those heroes sparked in their hearts.
But now, worn down and weary...
those heroes had yet to reclaim their light.
Cristina understood.
Just as those heroes once saved the people of Mercia...
Now it was her turn to become the flame of hope.
The light that would lead the soldiers forward.
Our champions may not be with us today.
And the gap in strength between the Empire and us...
You all know it better than anyone...
Having stared death in the face time and time again.
But even so, I must give this order.
Call it foolish. Condemn me if you must.
In war, we don't get to choose only the battles we can win.
We endure great losses. And sometimes, we fight while praying for a miracle.
But we have seen miracles, haven't we?
We witnessed one... born from the noble sacrifice of a single knight.
Fear is fleeting. But victory... victory is forever.
Raise your swords. Lift your shields.
Because by your side...
The Rose of Mercia stands with you.
Cristina dismissed her guards and strode forward to lead the charge.
Aaaagh!!!
And with a burst of her magic, the battle began.
Charge!!!
3. The Saint Monastery
23 linesGahhh-!!!
Charge!!!
You... human... I'll kill you...
All the pain... I'll make you feel it too!!!
Swordbringer... Don't tell me, that thing...
Everyone knows the Tiamat cultists have been conducting human experiments...
But this, this is unforgivable.
Damn it... Did we miss some places?
After the incident in Mercia, the Allied Nations shut down as many labs as they could.
But what happened in the Titania and Britannian Empires...
We had no power to stop it. Don't blame yourself, Ethan. This isn't your fault.
......
Even as Isolde spoke, my thoughts remained in turmoil.
The war hadn't paused just because I was grieving.
Soldiers were still fighting to protect the people they loved.
And even now, innocent lives were being lost.
Just like I longed to return to my loved ones... So too did countless others, clinging to that same hope.
And that's when I realized, how selfish I had been.
I've just been running away... this whole time.
I gripped my sword once more, drawing a slow, steady breath.
And in that stillness, I remembered why Bedivere gave her life to save me.
4. The Saint Monastery
41 linesSir Urien. You've done well.
Haha! It's all thanks to you, Your Majesty.
If you hadn't inspired the troops, the losses would've been far greater.
I only did what I had to.
The people of Mercia are dear to me...
but so are these soldiers. They're someone's family too.
If anyone deserves gratitude, it's them, for placing their trust in me.
Y-Your Majesty!
What's wrong?
The Imperial soldiers we defeated... they're coming back to life!!
What? What do you mean...
Aaaagh!!!
W-What?! W-Where did they even come from?!
Aaaagh!!!
GWOOOOAAAH!!!
Understood! All units, prepare for battle!
Cristina left the front line and began writing a message in haste.
This news had to reach the others, before it was too late.
So, you really do live up to the rumors, Swordbringer.
Even after losing a comrade, your blade doesn't waver.
...Or was she never truly a comrade to begin with?
That would explain it. She was just a knight, after all.
Hah! But aren't you the last person who should be saying that?
After all... it's your fault her body was never even recovered.
...You're right. Bedivere died because of my mistake.
I've replayed it in my head, hundreds, thousands of times.
I've lost sleep to guilt.
But I made a promise.
To never waste the life she gave me.
That's why I'll defeat you, and save Elizabeth.
For Bedivere's sake.
......
...How naive.
As Iscariot began chanting, the fallen cultists rose again.
Twisted and mangled beyond recognition.
Then let me show you...
Just how meaningless your resolve truly is.
5. The Saint Monastery
107 linesWe can't win this...
The "Alliance"? It was just an illusion from the start...
Grr... Hang in there! Just a little longer!
There has to be a limit to how many monsters they can summon!
Such arrogance.
Do you truly believe that dragging this out will somehow bring you hope?
Then allow me to give you some news:
By now, Princess Elizabeth is most likely already dead.
You think a cheap bluff like that will rattle us?
Ha! Still don't get why I came here alone, do you?
Anessa is the one handling the princess.
A princess without the Holy Sword stands no chance against an Apostle.
It's time you embraced salvation.
Our merciful god...
Will welcome even heretics like you with open arms.
KRAAAHHHH!!!
Ugh...!
Further resistance is meaningless.
This Chimera was born from pure faith and devotion to Tiamat.
It's not something heretics like you could possibly overcome.
Don't make me laugh.
Is that the kind of lie you fed to the people you kidnapped?
Don't you dare dress your atrocities up as faith.
How hypocritical. Are you any different from us?
What?
Swordbringer, do you honestly believe that winning this war will bring peace?
No. The victor takes all, and the same tragedies repeat.
Don't mistake your "justice" for righteousness.
To some, it reeks of hypocrisy.
KRAAAHHHH!!!
ARGH!!
T-This is the end!
If even the Swordbringer can't defeat that thing, what chance do we have?
So much for the legends of the Holy Sword...
The Alliance never stood a chance...
If I fall here, Elizabeth, the Alliance, everyone... I'll lose everything.
I can't waste the life Bedivere gave to save me.
Ethan!
In that moment, a warm light surrounded me.
Yeah. No way Princess Elizabeth would go down that easily.
She's waiting for you, Ethan. I know she is.
Once I'm done healing you, get out of here, before the cultist's reinforcements arrive!
The two of them stepped forward to face the Chimera.
Seeing them protect me with their lives...
I couldn't help but remember someone else who had done the same.
No. I'm done running.
Every muscle screamed in protest, but I gritted my teeth and rose to my feet.
Suddenly, light gathered around my arm, and my sword.
My vision blurred, and through the haze, I saw a familiar figure.
A man, standing tall against a monstrous beast.
While others cowered, he charged forward without fear.
With a single, thunderous swing, he cleaved mountains and brought the beast to its knees.
He raised his sword to the sky and roared.
Don't give up!
No matter what calamity we face...
As long as we have the strength to swing a sword,
And the will to raise our shields, we can win!
Charge!!!
Ethan! Snap out of it!
The world started moving again.
My vision cleared, and I grasped my sword tighter than ever.
I didn't know what that vision meant...
but I felt strength flowing through me, unlike anything before.
Right now, I felt like I could take on anything.
HAAAAH!!
I swung my sword, just as I'd seen in the vision.
BOOM!
The ground split wide. The abbey wall crumbled.
KRAAAHHHH!!!
The shockwave raced through the chasm and struck the Chimera.
It let out a childlike shriek as it collapsed.
Aaaagh!!!
Goddess Tiamat... please... grant us... salvatio!
Iscariot was swallowed in blinding light and fell silent.
Ethan... what was that power?
......
I swung the sword once more...
But the miracle didn't come again.
Did we... win?
Did we really defeat a Tiamat Apostle?
Even the soldiers were stunned...
their faces still blank with disbelief.
I thought back to the vision of the man hailed as a hero.
If I could embody that same presence...
maybe I could reignite our troops' morale.
(War is all about momentum. And morale saves lives.)
I climbed onto the fractured earth and raised my sword.
Apostle Iscariot has fallen!
We've struck down the vile Church of Tiamat!
So don't give up!
Even without the Holy Sword, as long as we have the strength to swing a sword,
And the will to raise our shields, we can win!
......
...A moment of silence. I worried I had said too much, until...
Charge!!!
They believed in me.
Together, we set out once more, to find Elizabeth.
To honor the promise I made to Bedivere...
and to myself.