I poured cold oil onto the face of the weapon that had barely fallen asleep.

As I faced it once more, its expression seemed icy. It was such a harsh look that I leaned in to see more clearly, only to realize it was my own reflection on the blade.

Even so, I treated it as if it had its own feelings, gently stroking the surface. It’s time to rise again. After coaxing and oiling it for some time, the blade finally began to glisten.

Awake at last? The weapon, now opening its eyes, looked somewhat surprised, as if it hadn’t expected me to bring it out again. Still, having been through this many times, it quickly regained its composure.

Then it asked silently, Have you found something else you want?

I replied, No, I already have it.

It’s just still in someone else’s hands.

Before the blade could counter that something still in another’s hands isn’t mine, I returned it to its sheath. The reunion was enough; now, only the fight remained.

Once my resolve was set, my steps felt lighter than expected. Yet, as I reached the door, someone blocked my path.

“Alpheus .”

“Princess .”

“Don’t do this.”

Her desperate voice pierced the hollow in my chest. While I bit my lip, she clasped her hands tightly together and pleaded once more.

“You don’t have to go this far. Please, stop this now.”

“This is already decided.”

“It’s not! You can still stop. Nobody wants this duel—nobody but you and Father.”

“Even Mirian wants this.”

“What?”

“His Majesty and Mirian. If the two of them are determined, no amount of opposition will matter.”

The princess fell silent, seemingly at a loss for words. I began to walk past her, but then another statement held me back.

“Then you could stop.”

“Princess.”

“Even if you back out, no one will call you a coward. And if things get difficult, I’ll help you. I’m the princess of this kingdom, after all. I can protect at least one person.”

“I cannot.”

“Why not? Why on earth not?”

Demanding an answer, the princess stepped closer and grabbed my wrist. When I turned to look at her, I saw her eyes glistening faintly with unshed tears.

With a face that looked as if she might cry at any moment, she finally asked the question that had been weighing on her heart.

“Why… why is the queen allowed, but not me?”

“…”

“Alpheus .”

“Yes.”

“I love you.”

Her belated confession reverberated heavily in my mind. Even as my resolve held firm, the haze of her words left me unable to move my feet.

“From the moment you saved me, I’ve liked you. At first, I thought it was just gratitude, but as time passed, I realized I loved you as a person. No matter how much time goes by, my feelings will never change.”

“…”

“If I could just have you, I’d give up everything else. That’s how much I need you.”

“…”

“So please, tell me. What do I lack compared to the queen? If there’s something, I’ll fix it. Just…”

Her next words caught in her throat, silenced by emotion. Looking up at me with desperate eyes, she held back the rest of her plea.

Even her face bore a resemblance to Mirian . If I ground Mirian into dust and reformed her pure heart, she might become the princess standing before me.

But even so, my heart remained unchanged. Confirming this, I opened my mouth and spoke in a quiet voice.

“Princess.”

“Yes.”

“Just as you can’t live without me, I can’t live without Mirian.”

“Alpheus…”

“I truly love her.”

My confession froze the princess in place. Gently, I held her and stroked her hair, whispering softly.

“You will find someone much better than me.”

“Alpheus… please…”

“Now, I must go.”

“Alpheus…!”

Her anguished cry echoed in the air as I stepped through the door without hesitation. A rush of cold air greeted me, brushing against my forehead like icy fingers.

The tension surged through me, sending hot blood coursing through my veins. At the same time, a cacophony of cries rang out around me.

“Your Majesty!”

“Your Majesty, stop!”

“Your Majesty, please…!”

“Step aside! Any who defile my honor now will face death as their punishment!”

The king , surrounded by panicked shouts, brushed them all aside with unwavering determination. As he finally caught his breath and raised his head, our eyes met.

“You’re finally here.”

“Your Majesty.”

“A bit late, but I’ve already chosen our spot.”

A soft smile graced his lips. Though many years had passed since he last held a blade, he was more than ready to return to his role as a warrior.

I strode toward him with steady steps. The crowd parted around us like waves, forming a ring that enclosed the space.

Though a little tight, it was enough room for a duel. The king seemed to think so too, for he asked one final question.

“Do you need more time to prepare?”

“No.”

“Excellent.”

His voice brimmed with satisfaction. Turning briefly, he addressed Mirian , who stood silently behind him.

“Then, my queen.”

“Yes?”

“Wish me victory.”

Having already distanced herself from him, Mirian’s tone toward the king was colder than it ever was toward me. Without any emotion, she replied curtly.

“Give it your all.”

“That will suffice.”

Expecting nothing more, the king turned back to me and raised an eyebrow.

“Would you also like someone to wish you luck?”

“I have no one who would grant me such a blessing.”

“Still, it’s a duel. You might as well try.”

He wasn’t wrong. I cast my gaze toward Mirian, hoping she might at least mouth some words of encouragement. But before I could fully focus on her, someone grabbed my shoulder.

Turning around, I saw the princess, her expression conflicted as she spoke.

“Alpheus.”

“Yes.”

“Don’t die.”

“…I swear it.”

Her sincerity touched me, and I bowed deeply in gratitude. The princess stepped back three paces, clasping her hands. Mirian also withdrew to a distant spot, standing on the highest steps to observe us.

There, she silently mouthed a phrase in my direction:

You will win.

“…”

Not a blessing, but a prophecy. Though it wasn’t exactly heartening, it strengthened my resolve.

I will win. If that is what you wish.

“Very well, Hero.”

The sound of a blade leaving its sheath resonated nearby. Lowering my gaze, I saw that the king had drawn his sword and was signaling the start of the duel.

“Let us dance.”

Whiiiiisshh...

A breeze grazed my core.

With it came a faint tremor that echoed through my heart, recalibrating my pulse. My body temperature rose, and cold sweat formed under the suffocating tension.

This was an inevitable reaction for those standing on the edge of life and death.

Some embrace the sensation, losing themselves in the excitement. Others suppress it with deep breaths. The difference lies only in how it’s accepted.

But once it begins, there’s no choice but to fight. No matter how much one resists, the outcome is always the same.

“Your Majesty! Please!”

“Your Majesty!”

The ignorant cried out in a futile attempt to pull us back, but it was already too late. The king  and I knew this truth, and our swords were already raised high.

One ready to burn everything with blazing heat, the other coldly aiming to sever the neck before him.

Our eyes locked, and simultaneously, we moved. In an instant, the sound of two swords colliding broke the stillness.

Clang!

“No!!!”

“Your Majesty!!!”

Even a single clash was enough to draw cries from the onlookers. Their voices were so desperate and piercing that one might think it was their necks on the line.

But those sounds soon faded from my awareness. The king, too, seemed to brush them aside, letting out a faint sigh as the metallic ring echoed in the air.

“…It’s been a while,” he remarked.

“Has it?” I replied.

“Yes. So, will you prove yourself a worthy opponent?”

“If I’m good enough for Your Majesty.”

“Show me, then.”

The king whispered in a low, eager tone, taking one last deep breath.

“Huup...!”

...!

With an explosive exhale, his breath scattered like white mist, and the king vanished, leaving only a shadow of foreboding.

Was it magic? I scanned the surroundings, trying to sense the flow of mana. But no traces of blue energy lingered.

Then it dawned on me—I shifted my gaze upward. The king hadn’t used magic; he had leaped into the sky, higher than sight could follow, using sheer physical strength.

“Hero!!!”

“Ugh…!”

Clang!!!

Just in time, I raised my sword to block the blow, but the weight was incomparable to anything before. Every ounce of the impact bore down on my shoulders, scattering no energy elsewhere—every shred of force concentrated solely on me.

My knees ground against the floor, my bones threatening to crack. As I gritted my teeth against the pain, the king let out a delighted roar.

“Now we’re starting! Come on, give it your all!”

“Hrrngh…”

“Don’t tell me you’re tired already, hero!!!”

Another strike came, swift and powerful. Though I managed to block it, my bones vibrated, and I felt my muscles being wrung dry as blood seeped through my skin.

This time, he wasn’t just heavy—he was fast. As I raised my head again, dozens of afterimages filled my vision.

“Come on!!!”

“Huup…!”

Amid the thunderous roar, I steadied my breathing. My body hurled itself into fragmented seconds, and so began a seamless dance of swords.

Amid the whirlwind of strikes, the only sound was the sharp clang of metal.

“No!!!”

The princess ’s anguished cry echoed above it all. Trapped in a duel with everything on the line, there was nothing she could do.

The king, seemingly unaware of her despair, bellowed with laughter, drunk on the thrill of battle.

“Hahahaha! Yes! This is it! This is what I wanted, hero!”

“No, Father! Stop! Father!!!”

“Show me more! Give me more!!!”

“Stop, Father!”

The king didn’t respond to his daughter’s desperate pleas. Consumed by the heat of battle, he had lost himself to the ecstasy of a life-or-death fight.

In this fleeting moment, laying his life on the line, he found the only thrill that could make his heart race.

Thus, he swung his sword without hesitation, his strikes filled with unbridled sincerity. Even as his thigh was cut, the king only laughed.

“Ugh…!”

“Your Majesty!!!”

Even in a duel too fast for the eye to follow, the splatter of blood drew everyone’s gaze. Cries of agony erupted, but the king paid no mind, swinging his sword with renewed vigor.

“Finally, the blood is flowing. Excellent!”

“You may surrender at any time, Your Majesty.”

“You even dare to provoke me? Perfect!”

With a maniacal laugh, his strikes came again, each one powerful enough to crush bones with the force of the air alone.

But they were slowing. Only I could feel it—a slight drop in speed, from splitting a second into fragments to fitting his movements within two seconds, then five.

It was enough time to find an opening.

“Ugh…!”

“…”

Bit by bit, I landed blows—his forearm, calf, shoulder. None were fatal, but the number of wounds grew. His once-pristine robes turned crimson, his body moving ever closer to collapse.

Even a legendary hero could not escape the march of time. While his prowess had not faded entirely, it was no longer at its peak.

And so, steadily and inevitably, he moved toward defeat. As Mirian  had said, he would fall after giving it his all.

“…”

“Huff…!”

I glanced at Mirian. Once composed, her gaze now flickered with tension. Sweat glistened on her brow, her breath quick and heavy.

“Yes… yes…”

“No… please…”

In stark contrast, the princess covered her mouth with trembling hands, hardly daring to breathe. She, too, was tense, but the difference in who she supported was clear.

Mirian prayed for my victory, while the princess hoped for my defeat.

Ironically, they called my name in unison, their wishes carried in their voices.

“Yes… Alpheus ...”

“Alpheus… please…”

“Where are you looking, Alpheus!!!”

The king’s heated shout cut through their cries as he charged again, his body blazing with energy.

“Your Majesty…”

“Come, take my heart if you can!”

Perhaps his rage blinded him to his own wounds. With the same ferocity as before, he swung his blade, bending the air itself. But even he must have felt the slowing pace.

When I blocked his strike with ease, frustration flashed in his eyes. He lunged forward, ramming his head into me.

“Graaaaah!!!”

“Ugh…!”

My vision blurred from the unexpected blow. Through the haze, the king taunted me, his voice dripping with bloodlust.

“What’s wrong? Tired already? Struggling to block me now?”

“…”

“You can’t even finish off this old man?”

Though he roared confidently, he wavered, staggering briefly from the exertion. I realized then it was time to end this.

“No.”

“…”

“I never excelled at swordsmanship.”

I stepped back, planting my sword into the ground. The blade trembled as if exhausted, its sweat-drenched hilt pointing skyward.

The king furrowed his brow, mistaking my action for surrender.

“Are you…?”

“Huup…”

But I was already prepared, reaching into the air. My hand moved as if searching for a star, and when it closed, I spoke softly.

“Allow me to show you.”

“What?”

“Why the dragon’s neck was severed, not pierced, by the archer’s strike.”

The king and the others froze, unable to understand. Then a massive bow materialized, and their eyes widened in realization.

When I drew my sword as an arrow, the sheer audacity furrowed brows. But as the blade absorbed all surrounding light, becoming a single brilliant comet, the crowd gasped.

“Good heavens!!!”

“What… is that?!”

As the sky darkened, the king’s eyes opened wide in astonishment, the world around us shrouded in black. Only the radiant blade on my bow glimmered like a falling star.

When I released the string, the king roared, summoning all his strength to meet the strike head-on.

“Raaaaargh!!!”

Clang!!!

“Is this… all you’ve got?!”

The king  roared, his voice soaked in blood and desperation, as he poured every last ounce of his strength into his cry.

Despite his battered state, he readied himself and lunged at me again.

But my attack was not yet over. In the final moment, I leaped high into the sky, pulling back the ethereal bow once more.

Hoo…

“What…?”

As I drew the string, the shattered fragments of the blade scattered across the ground rose into the air. The jagged shards, drawn together, transformed—not into a single comet this time, but into countless stars, draining the light from the sky.

Below, the king swung his sword into the empty space I had left behind, only to realize I was now above him. He looked up at the man-made constellation, understanding it heralded his defeat.

“Your Majesty.”

“Alpheus …!”

Sensing the end, I loosed the fragments toward him, calling his name. The king, gritting his teeth, raised his head to meet my gaze.

Surprisingly, a smile formed on his face.

In the next instant, the shards crashed into the earth. No dust rose from the impact—only the shimmering resonance of light spread in waves.

Haah... Haah…

“Your Majesty…?”

“Haah... Haah...”

“Your Ma... Your Majesty…”

“…”

As the light dissipated and vision returned, the onlookers struggled to locate the king. When they finally found him, bloodied and staggering, they fell silent, clutching their mouths in shock.

And there I stood, weaponless and unarmed, before him.

Haaah…

“…”

Even I could not escape unscathed. A deep breath escaped my lungs, my chest aching with the strain. It felt as though blood had been drawn from deep within me—perhaps a result of wielding the bow after so long.

“Your Majesty.”

“…It’s not over yet.”

Yet, even in his state, the king refused to give in. Rising unexpectedly, he swung his blade toward me.

“Ugh…!”

“Alpheus!!!”

Weary from the battle, I was a fraction too slow. The sword grazed the upper part of my chest, and his fist drove into my side, followed by another slash aimed diagonally across me.

Graaaah!!!

“Ugh…!”

I caught the sword just in time, wedging it beneath my arm. But the king didn’t relent. Again and again, his fists slammed into my face.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

My jaw snapped back, blood splattering from my cheek. Amid the chaos, I could hear the cries of Mirian  and the princess .

“Alpheus…!”

“Father!!!”

Their intentions behind the cries were unclear, but the outcome was already decided. When the king’s final punch came, I had enough strength left to grab his arm.

With a swift motion, I twisted his arm and wrenched the other, pressing down hard on his fingers.

Aaaaargh!!!

“…”

The king’s agonized scream filled the air as his sword slipped from his grasp. The moment it hit the ground, I kicked it into the air and caught it in my hand.

Without hesitation, I thrust the blade toward his neck.

Ah…!

“…”

But the blade never pierced his throat. Despite all my strength, it stopped a hand’s breadth away.

The king chuckled weakly and asked, “Was that a mistake… or intentional?”

“I don’t know,” I replied honestly, my voice carrying nothing but sincerity. Then, I spoke again, marking the duel’s end.

“Concede defeat, Your Majesty.”

“Haha… Defeat, you say…”

“It’s over.”

“…Is it now?”

It was true. The king had no weapon left, no strength to continue. On the other hand, I still had energy to spare.

But he could not bring himself to admit it.

“I…”

“…”

“I…”

It was only a matter of time before he declared his defeat. With that admission, everything tied to the duel would become mine.

Mirian, too, seemed aware of this. Her lips quivered as she muttered under her breath.

“Finally…”

“…”

I couldn’t tell what exactly she had been waiting for, but the excitement on her face was undeniable. A faint smile spread across her lips, and she directed it toward me.

I tilted my head slightly to meet her gaze. But the moment our eyes locked, Mirian’s smile vanished.

Ah…?

“…Khack!”

Suddenly, blood spilled from my mouth. The king, now splattered with my blood, looked at me in confusion and called my name.

“Alpheus…?”

“Haah…”

He hadn’t done anything. That much was clear. Which meant the cause lay elsewhere.

Following the logical conclusion, I turned around.

Behind me, ragged breaths reached my ears.

Huff… Huff… Huff…

“…”

Huff… Huff… Ah… Ah…”

The trembling breaths carried the faint scent of roses.

Turning, I saw the princess, her face drenched in sweat.

“Ah… Ah… Alpheus…”

“…”

“I’m… I’m sorry… I…”

Her eyes held only the last threads of reason, evaporating quickly. Even so, she clutched something tightly in her hand, refusing to let go.

“…Ah.”

“…”

It was a knife. At some point, it had sunk deep into my side, blooming into a dark red rose of blood.