Chapter 44: The Seed of the Wind’s Legacy

“Damn it…”

Galad’s expression hardened as she watched the skeleton soldiers appear.

Clicking her tongue, she turned to me and spoke.

“I’ll open a path. Use it to escape.”

“Aren’t you going to ask for help?”

“This isn’t your concern.”

With those words, Galad charged toward the skeletons.

Watching her, I drew the sword strapped to my back.

Shiiing!

The crisp sound of the blade being unsheathed resonated as it began to emit a brilliant light.

Seven radiant stars soon appeared along its edge.

I knew in my head that this was a reckless choice.

Escaping, as Galad suggested, would undoubtedly be the wiser decision.

But I didn’t want to run.

I preferred to act on my impulses, to follow where my feet led me—simply doing what I desired.

That’s what adventure is about, isn’t it? After all, the journey that brought me here was shaped by those very whims.

This time was no different. I was ready to take a bold step toward a new adventure.

Snort!

Behind me, Nightmare made its presence known, stomping the ground in anticipation.

It had quickly realized I had no intention of fleeing and was preparing for battle.

I nodded in acknowledgment. Nightmare’s powerful kicks could obliterate ordinary skeleton soldiers in an instant.

The skeleton soldiers numbered in the dozens—this wasn’t just a few scattered foes but a massive army.

Judging by the constant reinforcements pouring in from the forest, the necromancer was tirelessly summoning more.

Galad and the villagers were fighting back against the skeletons, but the situation was grim.

In this village, Galad was the only one capable of putting up a proper fight against them.

Unlike her, the other villagers couldn’t soar through the air.

Armed with axes and wooden clubs, they resisted the skeletons with every ounce of strength they could muster.

I surged forward, watching the scene unfold.

As my short legs pushed off the ground, a faint burst of mana propelled me forward at speed.

After a couple of additional strides, I reached a skeleton soldier.

My foot planted firmly on the ground, becoming a sturdy axis as I braced for impact.

A burst of blue starlight from my sword pierced the skeleton’s skull.

Don’t stop moving.

Keep your breath steady, and let your body flow.

I repeated the movements I had practiced during training, seamlessly transitioning between seven specific techniques.

Each strike felled a skeleton.

By the time I completed all seven moves, the glowing stars that trailed my sword illuminated the path of my strikes, leaving seven skeletons shattered into bone fragments.

But skeletons don’t die. Losing their skulls and spines merely caused them to collapse momentarily.

Given time, they would eventually reform.

I wasn’t worried, though—Nightmare immediately followed, stomping and smashing the scattered bones into dust.

I maneuvered to protect the villagers alongside Nightmare.

Each time I brought down skeletons with my sword, Nightmare charged in to finish them off.

If a skeleton was too far away, I dispatched it with a Magic Missile.

“You…!”

“I came to help.”

Galad turned around, seemingly only now noticing us.

Violent winds swirled around her body as if she had become one with the air itself, smashing the skeletons with sheer force.

Even while speaking, she never ceased fighting.

As her fist struck forward, a small tempest erupted at its end, obliterating two oncoming skeletons in an instant.

“Your name…”

After what seemed like a brief moment of communication with the forest’s spirit, Galad turned her gaze back to me.

Her expression reminded me that I hadn’t yet introduced myself.

“Seris. My name is Seris.”

“Seris, I formally ask for your help. While I am away, will you protect this village?”

“Where are you going, Galad?”

“The root of this incident lies beyond the forest. I’m going to eliminate the source.”

I nodded as I crushed another approaching skeleton.

A faint smile appeared on Galad’s face in response.

Her smile, like her presence, resembled the serenity of the forest.

As a skeleton lunged toward her, Galad’s fist shattered it into pieces.

Then, extending her hand toward me, a gentle wind gathered and wrapped itself around my body.

The breeze was soft and comforting, yet it pushed away the malevolent mana surrounding me as if protecting me.

When I looked at Galad in confusion, she explained,

“It is the blessing of the spirit. It will shield you from harmful attacks, so accept it without hesitation.”

“It feels… strange but pleasant. Like a gentle breeze.”

At that moment, something came flying rapidly from the other side of the forest.

Aimed squarely at my head, the projectile’s trajectory was abruptly twisted by the wind enveloping me, expanding in an instant to deflect the attack.

Thwack!

“What is this…”

I frowned as I looked at the ground.

It was an arrow, its shaft still trembling from the force of its flight, even after embedding itself into the earth.

“I’m counting on you.”

With those words, Galad stepped toward the far side of the forest.

Just as she moved, two more arrows were fired at her.

The arrows flew fast, almost colliding with her body—

But Galad moved fluidly, evading them with a grace that seemed as natural as the wind itself.

The wind swirling around Galad’s body intercepted the arrows with ease, redirecting them gracefully.

The arrows, now carried by the current, disappeared into the depths of the forest.

I shook my head. Galad’s movements were mesmerizing, but I couldn’t afford to be distracted.

Skeletons were still pouring in relentlessly.

Gripping my sword tightly, I swung it toward the horde of skeletons.

Seven radiant stars followed the arc of my blade, and alongside Nightmare, we unleashed a small tempest.

As we continued to destroy the never-ending wave of skeletons, something shifted.

Skeletons emerging from the forest began to collapse all at once.

The sinister mana clinging to their forms also vanished without a trace.

It marked their true death—the reanimated dead finally finding eternal rest.

“Hah… Hah…”

I gasped for breath, my legs trembling as though they were about to give out.

My heart, having been pushed to its limit as I drained every ounce of mana, pounded violently in my chest.

Even though the battle had ended, I couldn’t let go of my sword.

A lingering unease gripped me—the fear that this massive horde of skeletons might rise again.

I steadied my shaky grip on the sword and maintained my stance, remaining vigilant.

How much time had passed?

From the other side of the forest, a small figure emerged.

Her long, flowing green hair swayed gently like the leaves of the trees.

“Ah…”

It was Galad.

Her body was covered in wounds, evidence of a fierce battle, yet she had made it back alive.

Only then did I allow myself to collapse to the ground.

Galad staggered closer, her steps unsteady, but she managed a faint smile as she looked at me.

That gentle smile, reminiscent of the forest breeze, signaled that the wind had returned to this place.

The returning breeze softly brushed against my exhausted body, as if soothing me.

Still smiling, Galad turned and walked toward the vast lake. It seemed her task wasn’t yet complete.

Stepping lightly across the lake as though walking on the wind, she stopped in front of a towering tree.

Stretching her hand toward it, she placed her palm on its massive trunk.

As soon as her hand touched the tree, a powerful wind surged forth.

The scattered skeleton bones were swept away in all directions, cleared by the gale.

[Seris.]

The voice wasn’t Galad’s—it was something speaking through her.

Whatever it was, it gazed at me, cloaked in the same mighty wind.

“Yes?”

[Thanks to your aid, this forest has been kept safe. Your actions are nothing short of heroic…]

As the voice trailed off, a gentle breeze wrapped around me.

It felt similar to the spirit’s blessing that Galad had given me earlier, yet distinctly different.

[Take this gift of a small breeze. It will grow with you, sometimes transforming into a fierce storm.

It will serve as a bond between you and those who embrace the wind.]

As the voice finished speaking, a soft light emanated from the large tree.

It gently floated toward me, carrying the essence of the forest.

Warm and serene, the light coalesced into a seed no larger than my palm.

[Seris, hero enveloped by the small breeze. May I ask you for a favor?]

“What kind of favor?”

[Simply accept this seed.]

“This seed? Do you want me to deliver it somewhere?”

The voice answered my question with silence.

Suspicious, I glanced at the seed and asked, “Is this something only I can do?”

[Not at all. You are as free as the wind.]

My hesitation seemed to provoke a response from the seed itself—it began to drift away.

Acting on instinct, I quickly reached out and grasped it. The seed was warm, its surface exuding the gentle energy of the forest.

“Carrying this won’t put me in danger, right?”

[I swear upon my existence that you will not come to harm.]

“Hmm…”

[Only when the wind touches where it is meant to go…]

Before the voice could finish, a gentle breeze swirled around me, bringing with it countless leaves that wrapped around my body.

“What is this…”

It wasn’t just me—the leaves also encircled Nightmare, who stood by my side.

The creature, usually sensitive to danger, remained calm, a reassuring sign that this wasn’t harmful.

Suddenly—whoosh!—the wind dispersed, scattering the leaves.

I blinked, startled, and looked around. The surroundings had changed completely.

The once-pristine lake, flowing with clear water, remained untouched, and the small house by its shore still stood.

But the towering tree, the one Galad had called a spirit, had withered and died, its gnarled form dry and lifeless.

“What… is this?”

The village, Galad, and its people—everything had vanished.

The place was eerily silent, as if no one had ever lived there.

For a moment, I wondered if everything I had experienced was merely a dream.

Yet the warmth of the seed resting in my palm reminded me it had all been real.

“Hmm…”

Nightmare approached, a saddle and reins now strapped onto its back, as if urging me to leave.

With no other option, I mounted the creature.

As we exited the forest, I felt the seed’s persistent warmth in my pocket—a small, quiet reassurance of the journey yet to come.