The Tale of the Sword King's Princess

Cor Sanguis, the man that approached slowly. His suffocating presence rendered me unable to move, which only allowed me to hope for him to pass.

"You have acquired |Fear Resistance|." [Spirit Guide]

"A… ah…" [Solace]

Though I had just gotten a skill to resist the oppressive feeling, I couldn't even form words.

"My dear disciple, you seem to be struggling." [Vincent]

Mocking me with a sly smile, my master came over and patted me on the back.

"This much is nothing. You'll get used to it soon." [Vincent]

Or so he said, but I only felt worse as the sword king came closer.

"Urp…!" [Solace]

Quickly slamming my hand onto my mouth, I tried my best to not throw up.

("Oh god… What the hell is going on?!") [Solace]

"You have acquired |Nausea Resistance|." [Spirit Guide]

As the sword king came face to face with us, my heart almost stopped.

"..." [Cor Sanguis]

He stared at me and Vincent through the black fog covering his face, making me feel a bit pale.

"..." [Cor Sanguis|

Turning straight ahead, he walked past me.

("Oh thank god…") [Solace]

I felt a wave of relief, that was, until Vincent stepped in front of the sword king.

"Mind if I have a word?" [Vincent]

My heart sank as I saw the sword king stop in his tracks. The pressure increased, making me shiver where I stood.

"...Move." [Cor Sanguis]

"I will if you do me a favor." [Vincent]

"I cannot humor you. Move." [Cor Sanguis]

"Ah, but you will." [Vincent]

Leaning into the sword king's ear, he whispered something I couldn't quite hear.

"Deal?" [Vincent]

The sword king went silent, gears churning in his head.

"...So be it." [Cor Sanguis]

He turned towards me, placing his sword aside by stabbing it into the snowy mountain.

"Grit your teeth, boy." [Cor Sanguis]

"W-wai…" [Solace]

I wanted to reason with him, but of course, my body didn't do as I told it to. The sword king's pressure seemed to increase at an alarming rate, forcing me to fall to my knees.

"Warning: You are in the presence of someone of a higher level disparity." [Spirit Guide]

I brought my hands to my throat, quickly realizing I wasn't able to breathe. My eyes teared up and my nose began to run.

"|Fear Resistance| has increased a level." [Spirit Guide]

The feeling of suffocation subsided a bit, however, it wasn't enough.

"Hm… My disciple is holding on quite well. Perhaps you need to go a bit harder?" [Vincent]

The pressure suddenly became crushing. I slammed onto the ground, slowly feeling the urge to vomit increase.

("Master…! You prick…!") [Solace]

"|Fear Resistance| has gained a level." [Spirit Guide]

As the pressure overcame my body, my vision darkened. Next thing I knew, I was out like a light.

"My dear disciple, it's not time to rest yet." [???]

Feeling something tap my face, I awoke with a gasp.

"Waaa!" [Solace]

I glanced around in a panic, searching for the sword king.

"Where…?! Where did he go?!" [Solace]

"Gone. He left when you passed out." [Vincent]

I looked to my master, suddenly recalling what he had done.

"You…! Why did you tell him to make it worse?!" [Solace]

"...Training. You wanted it." [Vincent]

"That's…!" [Solace]

There wasn't really anything I could say. He really just pointed out the facts.

"Count that as a lesson learned." [Vincent]

"..." [Solace]

I looked down at myself, feeling stupid because of my decisions.

"...Dear disciple. Don't think of it as a mistake. Think of it as experience. A mistake remains a mistake if it is not fixed. Mistakes mended become wisdom." [Vincent]

Master came to me and ruffled my hair, treating me somewhat like a child.

"Master." [Solace]

"Yes?" [Vincent]

"What exactly did you tell the sword king to do you a favor?" [Solace]

"Hm? Oh, that." [Vincent]

Bending over, he took a seat in the snow.

"Have you heard of the tale of the sword king's princess?" [Vincent]

"No?" [Solace]

"The sword king, Cor Sanguis, used to be but a mere farmer. Similar to me, we both used to be of low status." [Vincent]

"You used to be of low status? What do you mean?" [Solace]

Master chuckled, clearly amused by my questions.

"I used to be a slave. Auctioned off to a noble of horrible reputation. However, that will be a story for another time." [Vincent]

He rubbed his neck while speaking, as if reminiscing the past.

"As for the sword king, his daughter was sick one day. He called the town doctor, who revealed that it was incurable." [Vincent]

"What was the illness called?" [Solace]

"Don't interrupt me." [Vincent]

Flicking my forehead before I could react, he continued the story.

"Cor was told that his daughter only had three months to live, causing him to weep that night. It was also that night a witch paid him a visit." [Vincent]

"Uh-huh…" [Solace]

Considering how fantasy-like this world is, I probably should've expected witches to exist too.

"She told the sword king that his daughter was cursed, but it was cureable. Hearing that, he got on his knees and begged the witch to cure her. To which she said, "Bring me the sun goddess' dew, and the hearts of three mythical beasts… then your daughter shall be healthy." to which Cor was taken aback." [Vincent]

"Wait, wait. What is the sun goddess' dew?" [Solace]

"I'm getting there." [Vincent]

Snapping his fingers, a glass bottle appeared out of thin air. It held a light green liquid with a luminescent glow, glittering in the sunlight.

"This is the sun goddess' dew. It was housed in the church of the divine. To take it was an act of heresy." [Vincent]

"And yet the sword king still took it?" [Solace]

"Indeed. Though he was a farmer, he gained strength through chance encounters, experience, and desperation." [Vincent]

Waving his hand, the glass bottle vanished.

"You remember the sword he was holding, correct?" [Vincent]

"Uh… That chunk of iron that he lugged around?" [Solace]

"That "chunk of iron" is in fact a legendary artifact he found by chance." [Vincent]

"...How?" [Solace]

Snapping his fingers once more, the sword king's weapon appeared before us.

"Go ahead and try to lift it." [Vincent]

"...I'm not going to be able to lift it aren't I?" [Solace]

"Good observation. You're most definitely my disciple." [Vincent]

Master took hold of the sword, to which it changed form. The blade went from a large hunk of iron into a refined edge, curved into a much thinner blade.

"This sword takes into the user's heart. Only those worthy are capable of changing it. If not, then it will remain unmovable." [Vincent]

"Wha…" [Solace]

I was in awe of the blade. It had a mesmerizing pattern of blue flames, glaring menacingly in the day.

"If it's like this, why was it so ugly when the sword king used it?" [Solace]

"Because his heart was ugly. He had killed many on his journey to cure his daughter. His thoughts were only of that singular objective, so that was how the sword ended up." [Vincent]

"...Did he save his daughter in the end?" [Solace]

"He did. I would tell you more, but that would be more than the bard's tale has to offer." [Vincent]

"What?! You're ending it there?!" [Solace]

"Dear disciple. Have you forgotten?" [Vincent]

"Forgotten?" [Solace]

"You're own objective." [Vincent]

He placed a finger on my chest, making me recall why I was there.

("Fina…") [Solace]

"You're right." [Solace]

Master smiled. It seemed he was proud, but it could have been my imagination.

"Then, shall we restart?" [Vincent]

"Restart?" [Solace]

Snapping his fingers, the world seemed to move at an extraordinary pace. Moment's later, I felt an unnerving presence approaching.

"...You didn't…" [Solace]

"Your first assignment, don't pass out. Maybe then you can get the sword king's acknowledgement." [Vincent]