Chapter 2: The Black Swordsman in Agonizing Distress

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He trudged along the night road.

The magic sword Rukuud hanging at his hip gave off a faint metallic sound. The moon was mostly hidden behind clouds, leaving the road dim, and the rustling of the trees swaying in the wind scraped unpleasantly at his ears. Fortunately, he didn’t sense any strong monsters. If it was just monsters of this level, he could defeat them without using the power of the Malice Glyph. For Lloyd, that was a welcome stroke of luck.

That said, it didn’t mean there were no problems. In particular, having no food at all was painful. His money, medicine, and even his sleeping bag had all been taken. Even if he managed to reach a village by chance, there was nothing he could do in this state.

“Ahh… I’m starving.”

He rubbed his stomach with a sigh. It was fine that he had managed to walk for almost an entire day since his expulsion and reach a relatively safe area, but his hunger was already nearing its limit. Maybe he would have to enter the forest and hunt a monster or animal that looked edible.

“This treatment is too much… Do they have any idea how much I did for them?”

He let out his frustration and clenched his fist. Since the day he was forcibly made to join Julius’s party, Lloyd had devoted everything he had to them. In battles, he always stepped to the front line and took the role of shield in place of the inexperienced members, risking himself for their sake without hesitation. He had nearly died more than once or twice. And it wasn’t just fighting. Lloyd had handled all the behind-the-scenes preparations as well.

And yet, this treatment was no better than being mugged. There was no way he could accept it.

『Descendant of the Shadow Clan,Lloyd Valt. I ask that you offer your sword to the newly formed Hero Julius.』

That was what he had been told when, out of nowhere, the king summoned him—just a mere swordsman until then. He had never told anyone since leaving the village that he was a descendant of the Shadow Clan. Now that his grandfather had died, he thought no one alive knew. Could it be that the kingdom had been watching him all along? He couldn’t help but wonder.

In any case, there was no such thing as refusing a royal command. And the very fact that they knew who he was served as a threat in itself. The Shadow Clan, Lloyd’s clan, once served as royal spies and bodyguards. They had been erased from public history, but in the royal family’s hidden records, their existence remained.

Even while bearing the accursed Malice Glyph in their lineage, they had been needed by the royal family for the sheer strength of its power. That was the role the clan had served. But such ties had faded over time, and by his grandfather’s generation, they were almost severed. Yet on the very day the hero’s party was announced, a royal order arrived for him. They wanted him to support Julius as his adjutant, but in reality, Julius never welcomed his presence from the start.

『…Hmph. A royal command is a royal command, but why do we have to let such a shady guy into the honorable hero’s party?』

He could never forget the look on Julius’s face when he said that. Julius had snorted lightly, maintaining polite manners only on the surface, while his eyes alone were as cold as if he were looking at an enemy. Thinking back now, Lloyd realized his position had already been decided at that moment.

No matter how much he fought, how much he helped, how much of his life he shaved away to protect them—Lloyd was still an outsider. And Julius made sure Elena and Fran treated him that way as well. An outsider like Lloyd could never build trust. And without trust, there was no way the Resonance Skill could activate.

〈Resonance Skill〉—when people with skills connected their hearts, their skills would resonate, manifesting new effects. For example, if a healing skill “resonated” with a defense skill, they could project a massive defensive barrier. It often activated naturally when comrades trusted each other and fought together, even without special training.

But… In the long journey they shared, not once did he resonate with them. No. It wasn’t just with them. Lloyd had never once connected his heart with anyone in his entire life.

“Maybe I really shouldn’t get involved with anyone anymore.”

Fatigue and hunger washed over him, making his steps unsteady. His tired legs dragged, and his stomach twisted from emptiness. His foggy mind couldn’t form any good thoughts. Even so, he couldn’t stop walking. If he fell asleep in a place like this, he would just become monster food. He needed to reach a village, at least that was what he was thinking when he suddenly realized he recognized the scenery around him.

“Huh? This place is…”

Memories from childhood brushed through his mind. He was right. He recognized this area, faintly. The village where he had lived with his parents before his grandfather took him in should be not too far from here. If so, he had some sense of the land. It was fifteen years ago, but he could roughly remember the location.

“…I wonder if the village ruins are still there?”

He murmured the thought that suddenly rose within him. If the ruins were still standing… At least he could take shelter from the rain and wind. It wouldn’t be a bad place for him to live out the rest of his life. For someone like Lloyd, needed by no one, it was the perfect place.

It would take time to reach on foot, but heading there wasn’t a bad idea—just as he thought that, he heard it. The night road echoed with intense hoofbeats. Followed by the yelling voices of several mounted soldiers carried on the wind.

“There she is—the False Saint! Don’t let that woman escape!”

“She ran into the forest!”

“We finally found her. If we let her escape now, our heads will roll!”

…The False Saint?

The unfamiliar term made him stop without thinking. Something churned unnaturally in his chest. He shouldn’t get involved. Nothing good would come of it. His own mind told him that, but for some reason, he felt he couldn’t leave it alone. Before he realized it… Lloyd was already walking toward the voices.

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