Tale Of A Knight 26 Volume 2: Chapter 16: Tired Squire

Having the talisman of elemental resistance, Bakit wouldn't get cut by the razor sharp winds of wind elementals. But a sword without a sharp edge is still a blade that strikes rather hard. Bakit could personally attest to how painful it was to be struck by the sickle-like winds of wind elementals.

And unlike Master Zen, who only used air slashes moderately and with extreme care and control, the wind elementals were out to get him the minute he stepped through the barrier.

No wonder the Sword Lord was given such a large territory under his authority, none else is could deal with elementals inside of it.

It must have been safer to just hand it over to the Sword Lord's hands, rather than have such a dangerous region to themselves.

And each Sword Lord, from one generation to the next, was trained there.

'According Master Zen, this is only the outside layer, there are several more after this one.'

Level 1: wind layer.

That was pretty much how Master Zen referred to them.

Apparently pa.s.sing his first test was a prerequisite, in a sense, a level 0.

And now, his real training has begun.

Considering the savage wind elementals were on the first level, only imagination could conjure what could wait for him after he crossed it.

'I dread imagining what could be waiting afterwards.'

As Bakit stumbled upon his steps, he noticed that his vision was going blurry.

It was as if, everything was starting to go red, his vision was getting worse and worse by the minute.

'Great, now I am losing my sight, first it was my arm, now my eyes, what's next? One of my legs perhaps?'

He will have to come back tomorrow to train as well, that is, if he finds a way to sneak past Mekros, but due to the fact that Bakit managed to best him in a sparring match, Mekros has been very lenient on him lately.

'I wonder if he noticed that I frequently sneak out to train with Sword Lord? Considering Master Mekros got defeated by Sword Lord many years ago, it might be a little insensitive of me to tell him I am a student of the same person who bested him so easily. Though the only reason I managed to beat Master Mekros was due to Sword Lord's training….. It might be for the best for me to keep quiet about this.'

"Yeah, that would be for the best"

Bakit heard a voice answering to what he just thought. The voice did not sound like the usual way his inner voice sounded, so he was confident it was not a voice of his own mind.

"Is there someone here?" Bakit looked around the forest, but none was in sight.

"What do you mean? I am always here with you."

That voice again, Bakit couldn't determine where it was coming from.

It sounded very cold, almost serene, making Bakit question how a living being could produce such sound

"Who are you?"

"Isn't it obvious? Can't you tell? Maybe this can jog your memory!"

Bakit's right hand ended up involuntarily grasping the branch of the nearby tree.

'My hand, I can't control it! What is going on?'

Bakit lost his right hand, what remained in its place was a crude metallic replacement.

The fingers were bendable for aesthetic purposes but they were no more functional than that of a statue.

Yet somehow, the fingers on that very right hand, were now moving, but not under Bakit's control.

Alarmed, Bakit tried to take off the glove from his right hand, but when he peeled the glove back slightly, he noticed that the entirety of the prosthetic hand was covered in bluish crystals.

"Do you understand now?" the voice within Bakit's head sounded out, but Bakit was in too much distress to listen.

With a shout that scared away many animals, Bakit bolted away as fast as his legs could carry him

Screaming like a loon, Bakit tried to run, but he did not get far.

He ended up tripping and falling down the hill, rolling and landing rather roughly.

Bakit's battered and exhausted body could not keep up with the sudden damage he acc.u.mulated after falling down the hill.

His somewhat mangled and dirty form was barely clinging to consciousness.

"Why did you do that? If you die we both will peris.h.!.+"

But that voice no longer seemed to matter as Bakit's consciousness faded and he fell into deep sleep.

* * *

Jansulu made a rather surprising discovery after entering into the Forest of Despair.

Not many dared to go into that forest due to how many dangerous beasts and monsters lurked within it, but to Jansulu, a member of Holy Swords, it was nothing to fear

Within the forest, at the bottom of the hill, she spotted Bakit's unconscious body, just lying there like a piece of gravel.

At first, she was alarmed, thinking that something must have happened to him, but after checking his pulse and confirming he was alive, Jansulu breathed a sigh of relief.

"I just found you, my love; I can't have you go away so soon"

Laying him on his back, putting her hand upon his cheek, she smiled.

"Before you challenged me that day, I thought I would forever be alone, without a groom, but then, like a bolt of lightning, you came into my life. I thought it was a dream, but there you were, standing proud and strong. Thank you, my love, for coming back to me so soon."

Not caring about the fact that he was covered in dirt and sweat, Jansulu proceeded to kiss his forehead.

"You must have trained hard to exhaust yourself to this degree, I suppose you wouldn't mind waking up on a soft bed, and it might be time for you to meet my family, since you will be one of the Aristan House soon."

When a woman of Aristan House is bested by the groom in a duel, the groom marries into the Aristan House that was the way the Aristan House operated.