By Zephyria 
K-boom—!
A thunderous explosion roared. In an instant, dust and hot winds surged, causing the soldiers to instinctively shut their eyes tight.
The agony-filled screams of the demon beasts echoed far and wide as crimson-black smoke pushed outward in all directions. Simultaneously, intense light penetrated through the gaps of the layered shields. A ruthless heat, as if to burn away the optic nerves, engulfed their entire bodies. At the same time, a high-pitched ringing in the ears shook their consciousness. Leonardo felt as though he had been caught in the center of an actual explosion, unable to regain his senses.
Even amidst the chaos, the touch of the arm wrapped firmly around his waist remained vivid. As his hunched shoulders relaxed at that sense of security, his feet were suddenly lifted off the ground.
Whoosh. The sound of wind brushed past, and the heat faded. Finally able to breathe easily, he slowly opened his eyes.
“…….”
A fluttering, brilliant gold. Through that gap, his eyes met sharp Gold Eyes looking back at him. The gaze from within the helmet was quite complex; even Leonardo himself, who shared the same face, found it difficult to fathom the inner thoughts.
Just then, Theodore, who was supporting this body with one arm, pressed a searing flame sword against the nape of his neck.
There was no time to flinch. Immediately shifting the direction of the blade, Theodore swept his arm outward.
Slash—
With a sword strike that cleaved the air, the field of vision opened instantly. A Flame Demon, shaped like a crescent moon and extending along the trajectory of the blade, tore apart not only the acrid dust but also the lumps of flesh writhing within it.
The pulverized flesh turned into blood-stained hail, splashing across the area. It was a wondrous sight. Though a fishy stench mixed with foul odors permeated the air, not a single drop of blood splattered onto Theodore or this body.
“Your Highness, are you alright?”
Partly thanks to the knights who quickly followed to provide cover, but primarily because the radiant flames surrounding Theodore vaporized everything that touched him from the outside.
For some reason, Leonardo felt this situation was terribly familiar. The moment a strange sense of déjà vu hit him, the shout of a confidant echoed from behind the bridge.
“Your Highness, all forces have completed the crossing!”
Glancing back at the same time as Theodore, he saw that the rear of the formation had already stepped onto the opposite land under the guidance of the knights.
Right on cue, monsters that had been hiding on the opposite side of the peak began to crawl out and flee for their lives.
Kigigigik, kiaaaak—!
The pattern of their eerie cries was different from before. It was as if they were terrified. Some among them had wings; as they spread them wide and soared into the sky, the world was covered in a murky, dark hue. It seemed there had been no birds because of those creatures. Flying entities were particularly troublesome.
In other words, they could not let them escape here. Looking from side to side, Leonardo grabbed the cloak of Theodore, who was holding him, and urgently urged him.
“Theo— ah, Your Highness, now! This is the chance to blow them all away at once!”
Looking into those eyes filled with longing, Theodore’s eyes narrowed once more. One might think it impolite, but without a word, he soared high into the air. He lightly restrained the knights who tried to follow with a flick of his head.
Soon after, extinguishing the flame sword in his hand, he thrust his arm deep into the flames that burned like an afterimage.
“XaêQûṉ.”
As he chanted the ancient spell in a stern voice, a brilliant light erupted from the flames. Leonardo frowned at the glare, but he couldn’t bring himself to close his eyes. This was because a translucent sword, the kind he had only seen in ancient texts, was slowly being drawn out from the hilt.
‘The Sword of Charlos?’
It was the holy sword said to have been favored by the ancient Overlord of Laina, characterized by the flower-shaped ornament in the center of the cross-guard. He had heard it was buried in the tomb upon the Overlord’s passing, so why was it here…?
Before the question could even finish, Theodore, lightly shaking his hand as he drew the blade to the tip in one motion, aimed the holy sword forward. As his Magic Power gathered at the tip of the sword, the blade pulsed and wavered, staining itself in a golden hue that contained the sun.
“Watch closely.”
Then, the red cloak fluttered violently following the trajectory of his arm. With a cryptic phrase, he drew a smooth semicircle with the blade as if dancing. It was absolutely not a forceful movement like before. However, the energy screaming from his fingertips was on a different dimension from anything seen thus far.
Vreeee— A pure white flash that defied altitude exploded outward. It soon brought a wave that tore through the air, gouging the earth as it extended far beyond.
K-boom—!
The slash pierced through the ridge, leaving a scar, and instantaneously half-destroyed the mountain peak the soldiers had just passed. Hundreds of demon beasts flying and crawling upon it stopped their movements all at once. Every single one of them witnessed the radiance looming over their heads. Though it was impossible for them to have facial expressions, the encroaching terror was perfectly preserved.
Kiaaaaak—
Following that, with a spine-chilling death rattle, their flesh burst and sprayed like a mist. The forms swallowed by the light evaporated entirely, leaving not a single fragment of bone.
A moment later, in the place where the sword light had passed, another deep valley was formed instead of a peak. Lava, having found a new path through the hollow crevices of the rock wall, flowed sluggishly, and a ghostly haze rose from the cross-section of the cliff where the heat had not yet cooled.
Sizzle—
Looking up following the occasional sparks and steam, even the clouds that had covered the sky had cleared to the sides.
The sword strike extended for a radius of hundreds of yards—no, thousands of yards.
Leonardo, who had barely managed to close his open mouth, felt his Adam’s apple bob. Just like the records of old, he had swung it only once.
‘With a single strike, hundreds were annihilated and half the mountain vanished,’
The morale of the allies soared beyond words, and the enemies were too terrified to dare attack.
And the man who made that possible showed no sign of exhaustion, unlike the previous version of himself. He simply maintained his composure, draped in innate authority. A man who could send shivers down one’s spine so effortlessly had failed to kill the King of the demon beasts because of a lack of power? It made no sense.
Leonardo exhaled a thin breath as he faced another possibility of himself. Then, Theodore, who was looking at the same place, spoke while keeping his gaze fixed.
“Did you see?”
He thrust the sword in his hand back into the afterimage of the blazing flames. As the sword returned to its original world, the entrance slowly closed.
“I have no need for your protection.”
Only then did Leonardo realize the words were directed at him and turned to look at him.
“Pardon?”
“I mean, do not step forward recklessly and sacrifice your life. It would be difficult to leave even a single line in the history books.”
Theodore likewise shifted his eyes to look directly at this body. Despite the warmth held in those two Gold Eyes, it was a rather cold gaze. However, perhaps because he was still hanging like a piece of luggage in one of his arms, he could read the heart within the helmet to some extent this time.
He was a being who was different from him, yet surprisingly similar, like a passage from a diary he had glimpsed one day. Leonardo knew the answer he needed for himself at this moment.
“I did not step forward recklessly.”
“Hmm?”
At the brazen answer, one of Theodore’s eyebrows rose. Leonardo continued nonchalantly.
“It was an action taken under thorough calculation. If the soldiers had remained, Your Highness would have been unable to let go of the rope, nor would you have been able to attack the creature. Then, the waiting soldiers would not have been able to throw explosives in your direction. It had to be me who threw it; only I could.”
“…….”
“And if I were to face the risk of losing my life, I believed that Your Highness would save me. Did you not tell me when we first met? That I should not worry.”
Leonardo smiled brightly.
“I simply trusted Your Highness for the victory of the Allied Forces.”
Long gold eyelashes blinked slowly. It was a look that said he was seeing a truly strange fellow. He didn’t particularly like how the boy spoke as if he knew everything, but since he said it was because he trusted him, it would be ambiguous to punish him.
Or perhaps, out of the generosity of a high-ranking person, he might simply embrace it. Either way, these words came from the certainty that he would not punish the impudence of this humble body.
And around that time, Leonardo realized that, since some point, he had been moving this body according to his thoughts and speaking his mind.
‘What happened?’
Just as he began to feel confused after speaking, Theodore, who had been staring intently at this body, suddenly asked.
“What is your name?”
Come to think of it, he hadn’t even given his name yet. After all, an acquaintance requires an exchange of names.
Leonardo was about to naturally answer ‘Leonardo Blaine,’ but suddenly remembered that he was not the owner of this body. After all, wasn’t it thanks to the knight who was granted the bracelet that he was able to meet Theodore? The credit for this battle should go entirely to him.
He delivered the name this body had used whenever speaking with the soldiers.
“I am Nomon.”
“…Nomon? A sundial?”
Theodore’s head tilted slightly. The supplementary explanation that always followed whenever this body said its name naturally followed.
“It is Nomon (gnomon) with a silent ‘g’. Like the needle of a sundial… that rod. My mother named me so that I would become a person who knows the path and the time to move forward.”
“Ah, Nomon. One who knows, one who points, I see….”
Theodore muttered the meaning of the name for a while. Eventually, while staring at the now-empty field ahead, he felt a noisy presence and turned around.
Soon, a word like a sigh flowed out.
“Your mother had foresight.”
Below the cliff he looked down upon, the Allied Forces waiting for the King and this body were cheering with open arms. It was frustrating that they were lingering when they should have moved to a safe place first. However, unlike before, it was clear that their morale had soared beyond words. The passion and cheers of those he had protected with his own hands were a most heartwarming sight.
“It is a good name.”
Theodore murmured softly while taking them in.
“Nomon.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
After a short pause, he proclaimed in a solemn voice.
“I shall remember you.”
Leonardo, who was looking at the same place, slowly opened his eyelids.
Then, turning to the side, he replied while hiding a budding smile.
“It is an honor.”