The prosthetic was finally complete.

I was worried about the possibility of Cleria suddenly waking up in the middle of the night in order to relieve herself, so I worked on them while under pressure all the while.

Honestly though, I wouldn't have been able to properly build it if I didn't manage to find a tool box which seemed to be for maintenance of the carriage. Nah, this prosthetic couldn't have been completed if any of the important materials were missing.

I was actually quite confident about this DIY project. Though I said DIY, it was Nanom which actually designed the thing and guided me with extreme precision in order to make it.

Its overall design was quite simple and the main materials used were as follows: the suspension of the carriage, a large sized and slender metallic cup, a horse harness and a small vise which was taken from the tool box I found earlier.

The suspension was V-shaped to facilitate better shock absorption, with its tips extending out in order for it to be attached to the carriage. It wouldn't have been possible if it were shaped any differently.

Also, the suspension's hardness was quite impressive. It had a miraculous balance between toughness and flexibility.

Nanom couldn't identify the exact material, but it wasn't made of wood or metal. It was apparently a body part of some unknown creature. It was very durable, and suited to be used as suspension.

The metal cup resembled the shape of a champagne gla.s.s, and its diameter gradually widened from the bottom up to the rim. Its mouth was as wide as Cleria's calf.

I confirmed the thickness of Cleria's calf by zooming in on it from a distance.

I cut off the unnecessary parts – namely the stem and foot – and welded it onto the vise with my laser gun.

The angle of attachment was the key. Cleria's body weight calculated by Nanom along with the weight of the other components would be supported by the suspension. In order to facilitate this, the V-shaped suspension had to be attached horizontally.

I carefully carved the tip of the suspension which would be in contact with the ground into a round shape with my knife until it reached the indicated angle.    

Afterwards, the prosthetic was practically completed after clamping down on the suspension with the vise. It could be equipped by using the belt of the harness in order to fix it onto Cleria's leg so it doesn't come off easily.

It was designed with the image of Cleria's leg being inserted into the receptacle and securing it with the leather belt. Its main feature was the function of freely adjusting its height through the use of the vise.

Man I'm p.o.o.ped. It's already near dawn. While I was worrying about wether or not to wake Cleria up, she ended up coming to by herself. From now onwards, it's a race against time.

When I woke up in the morning, I noticed that Alan Corinth… no, Lord Corinth was already awake. He hurriedly approached me and eagerly showed me something peculiar.

It seemed to have part of the ceremonial cup attached to it, but I don't recognize the rest of its make. He was trying to explain its use to me by talking, but I naturally could not understand a word.

I turned numb from shock when he suddenly carried me up. I was then made to sit on the stacked up trunk cases nearby. He wrapped the remainder of my severed leg with some freshly prepared strips of cloth. I didn't understand what he meant to accomplish by doing so.

Soon afterwards, he brought the odd contraption from before and tried to place my leg inside it. He tilted his neck and wound another layer of cloth around my leg while muttering something before placing it inside the contraption once more. He seemed satisfied this time around and started securing the part just underneath my knee onto the contraption with a leather belt.

After finis.h.i.+ng his work, he took my right hand and made a gesture inviting me to stand up.

It can't be?!

He grabbed both my shoulders and forcibly made me stand up. My heart fiercely throbbed inside my chest. No, it can't possibly be?!

After looking over my entire body, he made me sit down again. He started adjusting the contraption once more while muttering. My heartbeat continued racing intensely. I still could not believe what was happening before me.

He forcibly brought me up once more and observed me. He seemed satisfied.

He carefully pulled me by the shoulders. I slowly walked forward with uneasy steps. I wasn't used to the unfamiliar sensation, but Lord Corinth supported me. I couldn't help but make more defined steps.

I took a step. And another. And another.

The sensation I felt when I put my weight against the contraption was somewhat strange.

I took a step. Then another. And another once more.

This can't be happening. It feels like I'm inside a dream.

I took a step. And another. And another.

Lord Corinth let go of my shoulders and stood right next to me.

I took a step. And another. And another.

It felt like I was being led to a dance.

I took a step. And another. And another.

Lord Corinth completely let go of my hand. He then walked beside me.

I stook a step. And another. And another.

Lord Corinth stopped in place.

I started to walk around Lord Corinth on my own.

I took a step. And another. And another.

Before I knew it, I was shedding tears.

I took a step. And another. And another.

“Ah! Ahaha! This is so amazing, Lord Corinth!”

I laughed and cried at the same time.

I took a step. And another. And another.

I had already managed to walk on my own for about ten minutes. I wobbled a little when I finally stopped in place, but I managed to balance myself in the end.

“Lord Corinth! This is truly wonderful! I still cannot believe you were able to accomplish such a thing!”

Of course, Sir Corinth still could not understand my words. But the fact that I was happy reached him and he gave me a gentle smile in return.

I wanted to convey my feelings of joy to him even more, but I suddenly felt an undeniable urge.

If I did not respond, I would not be able to continue walking freely just like earlier.

But how exactly should I convey it to him? Fal had always remained by my side until yesterday, so I had always counted on her whenever this happened. I truly could not convey it to anyone else but her.

I thought for a moment and pointed towards the forest nearby. I pointed towards myself next, and pointed towards the forest once again. Will he understand my meaning?

Lord Corinth nodded and made a circle with his index finger and thumb. After gesturing for me to wait, he took up what seemed to be a wooden spear and rushed toward the forest with tremendous momentum.

After about three or four minutes, he returned and nodded towards me once more while making the same circle shape with his fingers. He had surely gone to scout out the area earlier. Lord Corinth then sat down and expressed his firm will to stay put.

I took a small toiletry bag with me and went towards the forest while blus.h.i.+ng furiously.

(Nanom, Mission Complete.)

I accomplished it with an excellent + evaluation of course.

[Acknowledged.]

After I relieved myself, I went back to where Lord Corinth was. He conveyed his intention to sleep soon after.

As I thought. This sort of contraption surely could not be made in just a few minutes. He had most likely made this for my sake all night. I am really humbled by this fact.

He would have slept directly on the ground, so I urged him to sleep on the blanket instead. It was one of Lord Corinth's belongings to start with.

This man was truly an exemplary n.o.ble. He was prudent, kind hearted, possessed a keen intellect and was powerful.

Yes, he was powerful. I was still in the midst of confusion yesterday so I failed to notice, but I and Captain Antes were certainly surrounded by over ten Grayhounds before we lost consciousness. He had most likely defeated all of them by himself.

I lost both my arm and my foot yesterday due to my own carelessness. I had removed my vambraces and greaves in order to relieve myself just like earlier yesterday. I paid for that dearly by losing my limbs.

But still, if I had vambraces and greaves equipped, my throat would have been mangled just like everyone else's. But thinking about such things now was no use.

I couldn't sleep well last night even after lying down. I thought about many things — the deaths of my comrades, the sacrifices I had made until now, anxiety about the undertaking I must fulfill no matter the cost, the loss of my limbs and my future as a disabled person.

I had finally found myself all alone. Who would willingly follow someone who could not even walk? I thought about such things and was not able to sleep.

However, with this new “leg”, I could still move forward. I might be disabled, but I could still do my best!

Yesterday was the worst day of my entire life. However, I was blessed to be able to encounter Lord Corinth as well. Now I owed Lord Corinth yet another favor. Even though I have not managed to thank him with anything in return yet.

I need to resume my journey immediately once Lord Corinth wakes up. I shall prepare for that accordingly.

Would Lord Corinth be willing to accompany me, I wonder…?

******  

Fu~a. I honestly felt I haven't gotten enough sleep yet, but I asked Nanom to wake me up at noon. Let's just get up. There's still lots of things I needed to do.

Cleria was currently in deep thought in front of a small mountain of luggage. Looks like she was sorting out her things. I would've wanted her to rest up more though.

I'll take a look as well.

The four leather cases were wide open, and she was busy selecting some items from within them. When she noticed I was standing on the side, she hurriedly closed the case with women's clothing in it. Oh c'mon. I didn't really intend to check those out y'know. Honest.

Cleria started another gesture game with me after seemingly remembering something. Looks like she wanted to tell me about that “something”.

She took up her sword without removing it from its scabbard and swung it towards the direction the carriage travelled from yesterday. She then pointed at herself.

What?! Was she being pursued? Was Cleria actually a criminal? Like a bandit? There's also the possibility of a war going on. I made an OK sign with my fingers.

Just how many pursuers were there? Now it was my turn to gesture around. I tried to put up my fingers one by one until I get to the correct number, but Cleria immediately stopped me.

Yeah, I get it. A group composed of ten people was forced to flee after all. It would be safe to a.s.sume that the pursuers were more than ten. Cleria made a gesture that conveyed she didn't have any idea about their numbers.

[Please cease this inefficient process of communicating silently.]

Nanom actually made a rare complaint. I know. Guess it's all my fault it turned out like this huh.

I gave an OK sign with my fingers to Cleria.

Next up would be how much time we had before they catch up. I pointed towards the sun and slowly moved my outstretched finger towards the western direction. Wouldn't it seem weird if I started talking while doing this stuff all of a sudden?

Cleria again gestured that she didn't know.

I gave an OK sign once more.

Well, she was still busy sorting out her luggage earlier, so I don't think those guys would be coming anytime soon at least.

Guess the gist was: I'm being chased, but I don't know how many pursuers there are, nor when exactly they would catch up.

I actually wanted to stay here for one more day and then set off the day after, but it looks like I need to change the schedule now. We need to leave as soon as we can, considering the state of Cleria's foot.

We need to sort out the things we need to take with us immediately.

Was there something like a bag somewhere nearby?

(Please highlight any bags or bag-like objects in the vicinity.)

I immediately saw objects highlighted in red when I scanned around. Oh, so there they are. A large shoulder-carried bag was lying around near the bonfire remains. It even looked like a bag used to store food. Speaking of which, I hadn't managed to find any food supplies in the carriage yesterday and found it a little strange.

Jackpot! It even contained salt. And this was probably… pepper!? I found myself some treasures right off the bat.

The bag next to it contained cooking implements. There was a frying pan, a saucepan, knives, forks and a lot more. This was also a jackpot!

The other bag contained a blanket. I don't really need this one since mine's better. But I'll keep it just in case.

Other than those, there was a fancy looking shoulder bag near the fallen carriage. What's in this? There's not many contents. When I inspected it more closely, I found clothing articles which looked like women's underwear neatly stacked inside it.

I turned it over to Cleria, who was busy sorting out her stuff. When she saw the contents, Cleria glared daggers at me. No, no. I really didn't mean to, okay.

Hey, there were also bags hanging on both sides of the horse saddles. I see. Their personal belongings were probably stuffed inside them. Let's check out their contents.

We finally managed to sort everything out after an hour or so. I touched the medical pill-like object I found yesterday and had Nanom a.n.a.lyze it.

I gathered everything I managed to find and had Cleria take a look at them. I gestured at her in order to ask for permission to put the supplies inside the travelling bags. Cleria nodded in agreement.

(Please check and confirm the materials and supplies, indicate all which are to be given priority and give detailed instructions regarding the exact amount suitable for carrying inside bags. I don't want Cleria to carry any more than one or two bags.)

One bag was highlighted in blue and the necessary supplies were highlighted in red. I put them inside one after the other. And I'm done. Now for the next one.

I ended up packing one backpack and three bags worth of supplies. Each of them were practically bursting at the seams.

I had my hands full with the backpack, two bags, two blanket rolls and my rifle. Guess I'd have to throw the bags away if we encounter a situation where I would need to use my rifle.

I just noticed it earlier, but the work suit I hung on my backpack in order to let it dry was now nowhere to be found. It must've fallen off while I was running yesterday.

I don't really feel like going to the trouble of picking it up.

Cleria carried the smallest shoulder bag among the three. She also kept the bag with her personal effects inside with her.

I managed to convey to Lord Corinth the fact that I was being pursued by using gestures. I could not afford to keep this matter to myself. This road would probably be thoroughly scouted before long. There were not many avenues of escape available to us.

I was actually afraid to divulge this matter to Lord Corinth. There was no reason for Lord Corinth, who had no particularly deep relations with me, to involve himself in my troubles. I would not blame him even if he were to express the desire to part ways.

However, even though Lord Corinth seemed startled at first, he did not look to be particularly fl.u.s.tered about it at all. Have I not managed to convey my matters to him properly? No, it did not seem to be the case.

Lord Corinth began to busy himself soon afterward. He seemed to be checking the supplies. He walked around the area and gathered all the supplies near the center of the clearing.

He looked satisfied after gathering most of them and gestured towards me. He was probably asking if it was alright to put the things inside some bags. When I nodded in agreement, he immediately started packing the gathered supplies inside the bags. He seemed to have picked some things to pack in advance.

All the things he put in were the ones which seemed immediately useful to us. Even I was convinced with his selection. I also tried to pick things out earlier, but all of them seemed important, so I could not decide on which to prioritise in the end. Eventually, Lord Corinth filled out his personal bag, which resembled those used by travelling merchants, and three shoulder bags with supplies.

Lord Corinth nodded towards his personal bag and two other large bags and then pointed towards himself. He then nodded towards the smallest bag and pointed towards me. I was convinced for the first time that Lord Corinth actually intended to accompany me.

Lord Corinth truly was an exemplary n.o.bleman. I felt so ashamed that I suspected otherwise.

While he was organizing the luggage, I noticed that Lord Corinth did not possess a sword. Perhaps he lost his when he fought off the Grayhounds yesterday.

I gathered all the swords of my comrades earlier, but I could not possibly bring all of them with me. I decided to let Lord Corinth choose a sword from among them instead. I led Lord Corinth to the spot where I had gathered the swords and gestured for him to take one.

Cleria pulled me towards one spot where a number of swords were neatly lined up. They were probably the weapons of her late companions. She seemed to mean for me to choose one.

If I continue to use the pulse rifle and laser, their energy packs would eventually run out sooner or later. Once that happens, they'd be nothing but useless baggage. It would be nice to have an alternative weapon.

A sword, huh? How nostalgic. Naturally, this was my first time seeing a real sword. But I've seen plenty in a VR game.

A VR game which prominently featured swords and stuff were all the rage in the school I attended from Junior High to High School. I was also quite addicted to it back then.

The name of that game was really straightforward. It's t.i.tle was “Swordsman”. It was your standard RPG, but it also featured a robust PVP mode.

I was completely smitten with this game for four straight years. But the fad soon faded, and I ended up quitting as well.

But before I quit, I partic.i.p.ated in a World Tournament for the game which was held on my home planet, and ended up placing 9th overall in the final rankings.

It ended up getting shown on the local news through the net, and I was regarded as a sort of hero by the boys in my school.

It might be too late to say this after spending a great deal of time and lunch money playing it, but just why did I devote so much to such a pointless pastime? But well, considering my current situation, my lunch money may have ended up being well spent after all.

I picked a sword which somewhat resembled the one I used in the game and took a bit of distance from Cleria.

Now, how'd this go again? Let's try to remember that tournament. I was just a 14 year old brat back then. At the time, it really felt like joining that tournament was the climax of my life.

I logged in day after day, and even installed and used an overclocking module to play; though it was eventually banned.

I tried to remember what it felt like during my gaming days and slowly brandished the sword. A~ah, now I remember. Those days filled with burning pa.s.sion…

The longer I swung the sword, the more I remembered. Yeah, I managed to recall it now – the finis.h.i.+ng move I used during that tournament.

Corinth-style Swordsmans.h.i.+p Final Secret Technique: Meteor Stream!

It was a blazing 24 hit combo with extreme offensive power!

But now that I think about it, just what kind of naming sense did I have back then?! And by the way, there's absolutely nothing remotely resembling meteors present in the move. My body steadily warmed up after swinging the sword for some time.

(Please give me some support.)

I transmitted my mental images to Nanom and tried out all the basic combos used in the game. Yeah, my body's moving well. So it was like this.

The more I repeated the combos, the better I moved. Maybe it's due muscle memory or something?

Let's try out some more advanced ones then. Man, this is actually fun!

I gradually solidified the image of Meteor Stream inside my head. Now I truly remember! This was a move I practiced thousands of times. Tens of thousands of times.

When the image became complete, I performed the true Meteor Stream.

Lord Corinth remained in a daze for a few moments, but when he saw the swords, the look in his eyes changed. He went straight for Captain Antes' sword.

I was impressed by Lord Corinth's sharp sense of judgement. Captain Antes' sword seemed normal, but it was actually a magic sword of considerable quality. I knew this because I was the one who personally bestowed it upon the Captain, but to think there was someone who could see its true value at first glance.

Lord Corinth took some distance from me, got into a stance and pulled the sword from its sheath. I could now finally witness Lord Corinth's prowess with the sword.

At first, he just brandished the sword normally. The swings seemed simply to be for loosening his shoulders. The sword swings gradually go faster and faster. He then performed a succession of attacks. Such sharp swordsmans.h.i.+p!

Following that, he showed a series of unfamiliar sword techniques one after another. The techniques do not seem to be from any sword school I was familiar with. They would be hard to deal with for ones who encounter these techniques for the first time.

Five attacks in rapid succession!? Ah! What impressive moves!

Lord Corinth suddenly paused. He closed his eyes and seemed to be sharpening his concentration. I was sure he was preparing to unleash a powerful technique.

Lord Corinth slowly opened his eyes. His entire aura turned exceedingly sharp. He merely stood in place with sword in hand, but just seeing him like that was somehow terrifying. What impressive sword spirit!

In the next instant, the technique was unleashed. It was an extremely fast paced succession of attacks. And it did not comprise of only sword strokes. It also integrated martial techniques such as kicking and foot-swiping. The successive attacks continued without pause. The last move was an exceedingly sharp, practically invisible downward strike.

I was stunned to silence.

It was a sword technique akin to that of a beautiful and elegant dance. It was an element not present in any of the well known sword schools. No one who encounters it for the first time would be able to block that sword. Yes, no matter how masterful the opposing swordsman was. It was an impressive sword technique which thoroughly made me think as such.

This sword technique was definitely Lord Corinth's trump card. And he openly allowed me to observe his technique.

For any swordsman, their strongest move equates to their very lives. Unless it was between a master and student or lord and retainer, it was something not to be revealed to just anyone. Once it was shown, it meant that the swordsman entrusted the other person with his or her life.

My chest burned hot from the trust Lord Corinth bestowed upon me. It cannot be said that I and Lord Corinth had a relations.h.i.+p built on mutual trust. But if a person does not learn to believe, then nothing would begin.

This was Lord Corinth's way of declaring that he would put his complete faith in me from now on.

I shall also put my faith in Lord Corinth!

TL Note: Yep. Fal's actually a girl. d.a.m.n you, Nihongo, and your gender neutral p.r.o.nouns. And lol at Alan channeling his inner Kirito (sn.i.g.g.e.rs). Don't you just love chuuni characters? They're pretty hilarious if done right.

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