Chapter 1. Death, but…….

Certainly! Here is the translation of the text into English:

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**Episode 1. Death, But...**

"Now!!!"

When the elderly knight's head was graying and he coughed up blood while shouting.

A knight with a stature well over 2 meters floated in the air like the wind.

Immediately, a huge war hammer, gleaming with aura, swung through the air like lightning, striking the head of a monster ten times its size.

Kwaaaaah!

A deafening roar spread across the entire battlefield.

It signaled the end of a long seven-day battle.

"Heh, hehehe. Indeed, strength alone is remarkable."

*Cough.*

The elderly knight, Esugard, who had slumped down, managed to raise his trembling hand with effort, showing a thumbs-up.

The giant knight, Tiny, approached him with a calm expression.

"I told you. If anything properly challenges me, it's just one hit."

Contrary to his confident words, his hands, almost crushed, trembled. He couldn't muster the courage to lift his beloved weapon, which had smashed the skull of the Demon King and was now stuck in the ground.

Furthermore, his wobbly legs and increasingly dimming vision clearly showed the aftermath of the last ounce of life squeezed out by the blow.

But he didn't want to show weakness.

"Hurry up and get up, mentor... *Ugh.*"

He tried to extend his hand vigorously to lift his companion, but instead, his legs gave out and he awkwardly sat back down.

A thud echoed so loud that it reached my ears.

*Damn it.*

Unfortunately, there was no strength left to get up again.

The depletion of life force seemed faster than expected. As he sat down, his vision darkened, and nothing else entered his sight.

*Damn it.*

He wanted to fight gallantly to the end.

But now, he showed the sight he never wanted others to see, to the opponent he least wanted to see.

As Tiny bit his lips in self-loathing, a hoarse voice echoed in his ears again.

"Hehe, it's regrettable to see the Knight of Might collapsing without strength. It's a shame I can't see it with my own eyes. Heh."

"You can't see it...? Could it be that you too?"

"'Too'...? Then, you too?"

The one who blocked the Demon King's final attack, and the one who cut off his breath.

Only now did they realize the achievement of squeezing out their life force until their eyes blurred.

For a moment of surprise at the belated realization, both of them sighed simultaneously.

"Ha, damn..."

"Heh... Damn, now everything is truly over."

When despair mixed with melancholy escaped from the mouth of the Sword Emperor, known as the greatest knight of the continent, there was a moment of silence between the two.

Tiny didn't like the heavy atmosphere, so he tried to change the subject.

"But we defeated the Demon King. The remaining people will somehow handle the rest."

However, that hopeful story mixed with hope was easily rebutted.

"Even after all the continent's top ten knights risked their lives, we barely killed one division commander. As for the other monsters, even if we defeat them by sheer numbers, what about the other division commanders? And the Demon King?"

The division commanders who couldn't take a breath without the power of destruction, aura, or equivalent.

They were not mere opponents that could be dealt with just by outnumbering them.

But those known to be able to wield such aura, having sacrificed themselves to kill the Demon King Gluterny, only ended up sacrificing themselves.

...No, not all of them yet.

"Damn! We're not dead yet, mentor!"

"Do you really think you can survive like this? Well, then I'm really relieved."

As if.

"...Damn it, didn't they advertise enough as heroes or warriors in the temple? They'll take care of the aftermath."

"Do you believe that? Just a twenty-something kid?"

"Heh... I have to believe it."

Yeah, what can you do.

Now the end is really approaching.

They did their best, and there was nothing more they could do.

At least Tiny thought so, but it seemed the other's thoughts were a little different.

"No, there's still something we can do. I'm not sure, but..."

"Before that, I have one question."

"Heh, old man..."

If the situation hadn't gone like this, they wouldn't have been able to talk for so long.

Although they were lumped together under the name of the top ten knights of the continent, among them, Tiny, known as the Knight of Might, had exceptional aspects.

He was often referred to as a free knight, but honestly, he was nothing more than a mercenary or a nobody. To put it bluntly, he grew up as an orphan in the slums and rose to the pinnacle of the continent's knights with his own strength.

But he had seen more than once the sight of nobles praising him in front and gossiping behind him.

To him, Esugard von Valentina, also known as the Sword Emperor, was an extreme figure in the noble world. Needless to say, he had no intention of bringing up unknown past connections.

But.

'It's not time to hide. In this situation.'

As he was gradually engulfed by that rebellious feeling, he felt his senses and consciousness completely captured.

Instinctively sensing that, Tiny focused his remaining strength on hearing and speaking.

Even if it's a last-minute, he'll say one more thing before he dies.

"Ask anything."

Even if it was due to his worthless pride, he squeezed out his voice vividly with all his strength.

"Why is your name Tiny? With that size, Tiny doesn't seem to fit you at all."

"You annoying mentor..."

As the returning question was like this?

In a moment, a chuckle burst out.

If only his body had been intact, whether it was Esugard or anyone else, he would have swung a hammer at their heads.

But what a big deal now.

"...When I was young, I was very small. That's the name our gang leader gave me."

After saying the name, a story he had never told to anyone naturally flowed out. Like the name Tiny, his narrow heart widened a bit, facing death.

'Because we were comrades?'

He laughed at the thought of calling him a comrade to the nobility.

"You were like that then. But why didn't you change the name you used in the slums when you became a knight?"

Could it be that when it's time to die, curiosity naturally increases?

"...To not forget."

"What?"

*Pffft.*

In response to that question, a chuckle involuntarily burst out.

I can't say it. Especially to you.

"You don't need to know that far, mentor. Is that the last thing you want to leave behind? Didn't you say you'd try something earlier?"

"Even for that, I need to know about you."

"What...?"

Tiny felt his voice trembling without realizing it.

Damn, my strength is fading. The Sword Emperor still seems to have energy.

'Just hold on a little longer. Endure it, my body.'

If someone had peeked inside him, he might not have known to mock him for setting up such useless pride even at the end of his life.

But he lived his life with just that pride.

From poverty to the peak of a knight.

So.

'I won't collapse until the end.'

*Ssshh.*

As he concentrated his mind and gathered mana, a calm voice continued.

"Why didn't you run away? You have nothing you need to protect, right?"

"Heh, weren't you the one who said the Demon King's army is aiming for the whole world?"

"But from your perspective, there was no need to fight so hard here, right? You've been through a lot."

*Pff.*

This old man, why is he so curious at a time like this?

Now I don't even have the energy to distract myself.

He replied briefly, trying to maintain consciousness.

"Because it's frustrating."

"What?"

"Disliking the loss of form the most. A man should stand tall anywhere, no running away."

"...Pff, hahaha! You really...! Hahaha!"

You still have the strength to laugh?

With the sound of laughter, it seems that Gyeomje still has some strength left.

Damn it, if only I had trained properly in magic from a young age.

No, at least if I had properly fastened the first button.

"I could have endured more...."

No, if that were the case, I might have been able to smash that Demon King's bones alone.

It wasn't shallow self-esteem, but confidence based on reality. Among the top ten knights of the continent, there was no one else from the slums.

Whether it was martial arts or mana techniques, the achievements made were solely his own.

Once again, the limits of his origins and the hardships of his childhood felt regrettable.

"Alright, that's enough."

What's enough, sir?

The laughter ceased, and Gyeomje began to speak calmly again.

"A talent who became one of the top ten knights of the continent before even reaching thirty. Moreover, his growth without the teachings of a prestigious family like his own. Perhaps this treasure is best used by you."

What are you talking about?

I wanted to ask Gyeomje about the story he didn't understand, but I couldn't speak anymore.

"Damn."

Is this my limit?

From the lowest place in the world to the highest.

Always holding my head high and living proudly.

Especially when others pointed fingers at my origins.

This is the result of living like that.

A poor orphan killed the Demon King's 1st Division Commander.

"Isn't this enough to have lived well?"

It's a feat to be remembered in history.

There's no... right...

"Do you even have the...!"

In the first place, this was a job that could only be finished by smashing all the division commanders from the other corps to the Demon King with a hammer.

And now he had collapsed at just the first step.

Not only did he fail to leave an achievement to be remembered in history, but also those who would record that history were about to disappear.

"Damn it."

His teeth gritted in overwhelming regret, and amidst it, Gyeomje continued to babble foolishly.

"When you return, come find me. I will help you properly use that talent of yours."

Is this inspiration crazy, saying that when he's about to die?

I'll go a little faster, but you...

"Of course, even if you come to find me recklessly, I won't believe the me from the past. So let me say this."

What the hell are you talking about? The past?

"My daughter's nickname is Laila. It was taken from the name of the flower that my wife and I like the most."

What am I supposed to do with that?

"But actually, I didn't like that flower very much. That's the key. Don't ever forget."

...He's babbling about something nonsensical, but it seems serious.

I started to wonder if Gyeomje had finally lost his mind.

However.

"If your talent properly blossoms, you should be able to overcome this crisis. Yes, that's the only way. No matter how I think about it."

With Gyeomje's words, a warm energy was felt.

"...Wait, can you feel it?"

My senses were gone?

Even as consciousness faded away, it was simply absurd.

"Remember. As soon as possible, come find me. Even if you don't know where you are, as the Duke of Valentina in the Asran Empire...."

At the moment when Gyeomje's last words faintly reached him.

Flash!

Suddenly, a bright white light filled the entire world, a sight vividly strange as consciousness faded.

He had a dream from long ago.

"Hey, what's your name?"

A warm voice.

As the hand wearing white gloves, which seemed like it would get dirty just by touching his tattered clothes, approached, he involuntarily shrunk his body.

Then, the gentle voice that offered him a hand was heard again.

"I'm not trying to harm you. I want to help."

Although it was a voice he had never heard before, for some reason, he felt he could trust it.

It was like a comforting feeling.

As his chest tingled with emotion, he opened his mouth without realizing it.

"T-Tiny."

"Tiny?"

He nodded.

He momentarily forgot the order to act mute and deaf, given by the gang leader.

"...Cute."

That voice was incredibly beautiful.

Although he wanted to hear more, an intruder appeared soon.

"Miss! What are you doing! That's a filthy... uh, um. Please come here quickly!"

"Why, it's pitiful. He's so small and young."

"It's not something you should care about. If what you're doing here gets out, I'll be in big trouble."

"...But still."

"Oh my. Come here, come here."

As the rough hand of the intruder, who came running with flattery, tried to grab the hand wearing white gloves, the owner of the gloves came into Tiny's arms and handed something before leaving.

Feeling hard and cold, before confirming what it was, he heard a soft whisper.

"Come find me with this. Then I can help you. You know me, right?"

How could I say I don't know?

He nodded.

As Tiny hurriedly nodded his head, the owner of the gloves was led away by the rough hand.

Oh, dear, can't you help? She's so young and small like this?

"Since the lady won't bother, it's best not to get close to those kids; diseases spread easily around them."

"What...?"

Tiny blankly stared at their retreating figures before naturally shifting their gaze to something within their arms.

A yellow-glowing ring.

"This, this is...!"

Even the young and ignorant could recognize that this was expensive gold.

What could this mean?

Instinctively suspicious, but surely no one would play such a complicated and expensive prank on a mere beggar child.

So then.

"Why...?"

"I can help you."

With a sensation like the warm voice ringing in their ears again, a fluttering feeling spread from a corner of their heart.

It was an emotion called 'hope,' which they had never experienced in their life.

"You'll help? Really?"

The noblewoman had no reason to lie to me.

If her words were true, I could escape from this life too.

"Not just me, but my sister too."

But they never found the owner of the ring.

"Huh!? Is this kid already scheming!?"

Thunk.

Thud, thunk.

They tried to hide it somehow, but eventually got caught.

As punishment for their rebellion, Tiny was beaten until nearly dead by the gang leader and had the ring taken away.

Moreover, in that process, they were forever separated from the most precious connection of their childhood.

They realized then that excessive kindness could become a disaster for the powerless.

Even after death, this memory remained vivid enough to remember it so clearly.

Yes, so vivid....

...Huh?

"Tiny, wake up. Please...."

A quiet and gentle voice, infinitely missed.

In response to the voice that felt so real, they unwittingly opened their mouth.

"Sis...?"

"Tiny?"

Through the heavy eyelids, they saw their sister's face.

Unblemished and pale, unlike when she was working, yet still beautiful as ever.

At that moment, that last memory.

"...I'm... glad."

Even a faintly blurred smile.

"...Sis!!"

Shouting with joy, they tried to get up with all their might.

"...Ugh."

A sharp pain throughout their body made it impossible to even stand properly.

The eyes squinted in pain showed hands and feet, body much smaller compared to their peers. Even their physical condition matched the memory from back then.

Definitively.

"I'm really glad...."

With a slump.

Even their sister collapsed in the same posture she had nursed them.

"Sis...? Sis!!!!!"

The most painful memory from the past was unfolding so vividly before their eyes once again.

It was impossible to think of it as just a dream.