The Great Sword is not the Main Body!
Chapter 13 – Eastern Ruins (5)

The eerie wind whistling through the ruins carried the echoes of battle cries.

My nerves were on edge.

And as always, just before a fight, my senses sharpened. My mind cleared. My heartbeat quickened. An unsettling excitement wrapped around my body.

I forcibly expanded my senses.

With a splitting headache, half of the ruins painted themselves in my mind.

I filtered out everything but living beings.

Blood dripped from my nose.

“Noah! Your nose is bleeding—”

“I’m… fine… Just keep quiet…”

The gnolls’ positions appeared in my mind.

Drawn by the sound of battle, they were gathering.

The elite beasts. Their leader howled. The others responded.

Over 500 beasts converged, all focused on one spot.

The first wave charged towards us. The second circled back. The third moved left. The fourth took the right.

They were coming from all directions. No escape.

The battle raged on. Some fighters were already down.

I gripped my greatsword. Its handle rattled. Its dull blade scraped the ground.

Blood surged up my throat.

“Noah!”

“I said I’m fine… be quiet.”

The two men were strong. Likely platinum-ranked.

Even the knights weren’t bad.

But they couldn’t handle this many gnolls led by a leader.

I formed a plan in my mind. A way to distract them. A strategy to fight the gnolls.

I grabbed Aileen’s hand.

“Aileen.”

“Y-yes…?”

“The gnolls are coming.”

“What…?”

“About 500, led by their leader. Heading this way. No Carpeng, luckily.”

Aileen’s hand trembled violently.

I squeezed it tighter.

“Stay here.”

“Are you… really going out there?”

“Yes.”

“N-no! Stay with me… I can fight from afar… Or maybe we should run…”

“Aileen.”

I stroked her cheek, like my father used to do when I was little.

I had to reach up a bit…

“I’ll be back. Just make sure dinner’s ready.”

Because I’m terrible at cooking.

“Wh-what do you…”

“I’ll be back.”

I flashed her a smile and jumped out the window.

I focused my senses. I had to draw their attention.

I wrapped Aileen’s handkerchief around my sword and hand.

The stench of horse saliva hit my nose, making me gag. But it loosened my tense body.

Damn horse. One day, I’ll make a meal out of you.

“Haaah…”

I steeled myself.

Even if it crushed my hand, I had to do this.

As long as I get back to Aileen, she can heal me. I trust my walking potion.

I ran towards the battlefield, expanding my senses. The gnoll army approached.

I visualized the terrain.

Stone walls. A half-crumbled barrier in the distance.

The clash of metal grew louder.

One by one, the knights noticed me.

I didn’t stop.

A knight tried to block my path. I slammed my sword into his gut. He flew back, crashing into a corner.

Another stepped up. This one looked stronger.

As I hesitated, a man with a halberd shoved the knight aside.

I kept running.

I reached the wall.

The gnoll army was visible now, closing in fast.

No time left.

I raised my greatsword, lining it up with my shoulder. My left hand gripped the base of the hilt.

Ten seconds until the vanguard reached me.

“Haaah…”

This isn’t a game. Can I do this?

This isn’t a game. This is real life.

Which means… It’s worth trying.

This world has no status windows. No leveling up. No experience points, skills, mana, or traits.

None of that exists here.

But I know what happens when I push my senses to the limit.

I can do this.

I focused everything on one spot.

Blood flowed from my nose. I discarded all unnecessary information. Blood seeped from my closed eyes.

I focused solely on the wall’s structure. Blood gushed from my mouth.

Every detail of the stone, every carving, every part of the wall came into sharp focus. My heart pounded, ready to burst.

Grrrraa-!!

And then. Finally.

“Found it.”

I swung my greatsword. Not too fast, not too slow. Perfectly precise.

I traced the line I’d drawn in my mind.

Schhk-

Like slicing through a tree.

A small crack appeared in the wall. It spread, fracturing the entire structure.

Kuuurrrungg-!

With a thunderous roar, the enormous wall that once protected the village came crashing down. It crushed dozens of gnolls in the vanguard.

Too early to celebrate.

I turned and opened my eyes.

Everyone stared at me.

I’d drawn their attention and crushed the vanguard.

I opened my mouth. Blood gushed out. I spat it out and shouted.

“You see it. The gnolls are coming. Five hundred. From all directions. There’s a leader. So.”

I swallowed rising blood and continued.

“Kill them all, or die fighting.”

***

“Kill them all, or die fighting.”

I stared at the girl before me.

The small girl from Alrba. The one who reminded me of my dead sister. The girl I was assigned to protect.

And.

The girl who just destroyed Hablon’s wall.

That massive wall even Carpeng barely dented.

She toppled it with one blow. With that tiny body. With that worn-out greatsword.

I stood breathless, staring at the collapsed wall.

Could I have done that? Or Heinzel beside me?

No. Impossible.

At least. You’d need a master for such a feat.

“Luchi…”

“What is it?”

“Our escort is… strange.”

“I was thinking the same.”

“Looks like the gnolls heard us and are coming.”

“We were foolish.”

“Indeed.”

“But what can we do? Can’t let Alrba’s mascot die.”

“True.”

I looked around.

Even Erden’s knights couldn’t take their eyes off her.

I cleared my throat and shouted.

“My lords! The girl seems right. Shall we pause our fight and join the hunt?”

Heinzel chimed in.

“But can these noble knights handle such beasts? Hahahaha!”

Our voices echoed through the ruins.

The knights ignored us and reformed their ranks.

“They’ve chosen to hunt.”

“Good idea.”

I turned back to the girl.

Blood dripped from every part of her face—eyes, nose, mouth, ears—yet she showed no sign of breaking.

Her red eyes were fierce as a savage predator’s.

Was this really the same small girl from Alrba?

She growled.

“If you’re ready, move.”

She turned and dashed forward.

I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Ha… unbelievable.”

“Luchi. We’ve definitely got the wrong escort.”

“No doubt about it.”

Heinzel and I kicked off after her.

***

My body, still recovering from earlier, screamed in protest. Blood burned in my throat.

But I had to keep fighting.

I had to protect Aileen.

She entrusted me with her life.

Gritting my teeth, I swung my greatsword. Now so dull, it barely deserved the name.

A gnoll’s body burst open with a grotesque splatter.

Not slashed, but burst. My strength had doubled.

I kept moving.

Again.

Without pause, I swung again.

The handle rattled, twisting the blade’s path.

A gnoll’s mace came for my shoulder.

Too late.

Clang

“My, your equipment’s seen better days.”

A halberd blocked the mace from behind.

An adventurer had stepped in.

“It’s amazing how much blood comes from such a tiny body.”

A playful voice came from my right as a sword sliced through the air.

An ordinary sword. But the wielder was extraordinary.

Silently, his blade cut down six gnolls.

Then continued its graceful dance.

I knew that style. That voice. That sword.

From somewhere. From Black Sun.

That elegant swordsmanship.

“Luchi… the one-eyed Luchi?”

“Eh? Ahahahaha! Hear that, Heinzel? They know me!”

“Then… could it be you’re…”

The halberd-wielder looked at me, his large frame somehow bashful.

The one next to Luchi was…

“Bald… no, shaved-head Heinzel.”

“Hahahahaha! She called you bald, Heinzel! It’s official now!”

Luchi laughed carelessly, yet each swing precisely severed a gnoll’s neck.

“Damn it all! How humiliating!”

Heinzel swung in frustration, but every strike split a gnoll’s head.

Why are they here?

I can’t remember everything, but I’m sure. Luchi and Heinzel weren’t supposed to be here now.

Grrr—

I grabbed a charging gnoll, slammed it down, and shoved my sword into its mouth.

Catching my breath, I tried to clear my head.

The situation was dire.

Even with two platinum-ranked “superhumans,” it was grim.

But if those two were Luchi and Heinzel, it changed everything.

They were exceptional, even among platinum NPCs.

Watching them massacre gnolls, I began to relax. My mind hazed over, my body cooling down.

Maybe I…

I might’ve come out for nothing.

I thought of my aching body and Aileen, likely trembling in our room.

Like a husband off to war, I set out ready to die.

I really thought I might not make it.

If I’d known Luchi and Heinzel were here, I’d have stayed put.

Ah.

I really shouldn’t have come.

I should’ve just had dinner with Aileen.