My Death Flags Show No Sign of Ending

Harold Stokes in "Brave Hearts" is not duplicitous. The only equipment in the game is the black straight sword, and the sword embedded with the crystal that Harold is now using in combination can't be what it is, given to him by Justus.

There is no such thing as kindness there, just a substitute with the role of convincing the surroundings to follow Harold as a convenient pawn.

But that is not the end of it, because Justus is good at plotting.

Harold's sword has a breaking performance of absorbing the user's magic to improve his combat ability, but he wouldn't have taken it harder as Harold if this had started to activate just because he was holding it out of control.

Because when you absorb magic into this, it literally really cuts your life off. While you're lying, it's arguably a Justus-like ploy around not lying.

Well, that's why Harold has hardly ever used this power before. Only twice have I ever performed a sword.

The first time he discovered the Knights, who had been attacked by monsters by chance and were on the verge of total annihilation while on duty, and killed his enemies at maximum speed to help them. The second time he instantly killed two ice dragons, Hydra, at the top of Guilan Snow Mountain.

Minutes if both in time. But if you're actually cutting your own life, you can even feel deadly in those minutes. It was an indescribable fear not knowing how much my life expectancy was lost.

That's why Harold hasn't used the power of this sword to the best of his ability. Because I don't want to die, it's all I can say is that I have my head troubled and my hands are exhausted, but as a result, my life expectancy is reduced.

But I couldn't even say I was right now. Because by now a man named Fincent is a formidable enemy.

He moves his feet constantly to take advantage of the speed that is clearly exceeded, and looks at the gaps as he crosses his sword and unleashes magic as a restraint. Repeat such an attack many times, if at all distracted, you could be swallowed up by the outrage that swings to crush this one from the top of your defense.

And visit, a blank for less than even a second in the middle of confronting Fincent. Concentrate your whole body nerves at that moment.

Harold stepped in at a flashing speed.

Fincent has a considerably wider reach of offense than Harold from his stature and weapons. It is one of the aggressive factors. Then it's not necessarily the case that I should crush the time between us. Sure, it's possible to shift to offense with speed and maneuver, but that behavior is too risky considering the instantaneous force and speed of reaction exerted in both Fincent's firepower and offense. If we expose even a few gaps, the offense will be replaced, and besides, we'll have to fight in between Fincent.

Above all, I had to decide that Harold didn't have enough offense to push Fincent out of combat in one blow, and that it would be difficult to poke a steep spot easily even when he was dealing with him.

So what do we do?

Harold's answer is simple and clear.

Continuing restraint even in the dodging subject, slamming a blow in anticipation of a gap that can be punched in, leaving the immediate fincent intermission, the offense. It's called Hit & Away.

The starting point of the sword-wielding motion, packing the time almost simultaneously with it. Fincent stops that operation and is forced to wave down the great sword as he takes half a step back in an attempt to vacate the distance.

But I can't say how rigid Fincent is, I can't feel the power of the attack until now.

Harold's aim is the right arm holding the weapon. Its base is empty either to avoid obstructing movement around the shoulder or the underside of the armpit. In the gap of defense, he swung through to let the black sword slide in.

And leave before Fincent can get his attitude in order. Again, distance and confront.

This method of attack may be effective in terms of ensuring that an attack is applied.

But there's also a problem. A flash of super acceleration to pack the intermission, that every time you do it, you have to be absorbed by the sword. And it is unclear how much magic and life will be drained because of the risk of prolonged combat in this way of fighting.

The underarm part of Fincent, which is now cut and covered with a black cloth. The feeling of cutting there was not the feeling of cutting the biological body. Obviously inhibited by hard objects.

It's not like I don't see what that is. Perhaps something like Kuritaki Tartaru has been planted. Unless you are exposed to the attack of Kaishin, you still have to cut in a few times to cut it off in the middle of the fight.

I could also try the means of taking a distance and cutting off a series of high-powered magic if this wasn't even inside a cave that wasn't very spacious, but if I did that, I would be caught in a magical winding up or a magical downfall and crushed to death.

"You're putting me through a lot of trouble..."

I don't like it at all.

I could die of losing to Fincent. The sword may suck my life and do my best.

Still, to survive, Harold had to fight.

◇

The branches of the tree that crept instead of the firewood burn with a patchy sound so that you can cast out the darkness. Reefa was thinking about something, watching the flames swinging with both knees.

Thoughts, rather than worries, may be closer. The cause was Harold, and at the same time it was against Erica, who is now acting together.

Erica is the lady of the Smeragi family and now she is one of those who travels with her.

Its character is gentle, sophisticated, and yet it has both its own opinions and the strength of its core that it can mouth. It's not like I don't know the world like a boxed daughter. I see and hear things from a wide perspective, and magic and bowing are incomparable with knights and adventurers around there.

The family has good character, excellent humanity and excellence in various fields. The more we acted together, the more we understood how perfect a woman named Erica was.

Besides, he is so beautiful that Reefa has never lived and seen him before. Colette snorted at him not saying anything about admiration. It may be said that it is as if it embodies a man's ideal.

And such Erica is Harold's fiancée... Apparently.

The two parties deny it, but I'm guessing it doesn't mean it's a whole lie because Francis and Erica's brother, Itsuki, have their mouths full that they're fiancées.

Then why does Erica deny it? It may have been before if I told you I hated Harold, but it's hard to imagine a human being who could do as much as she does would openly put disgust on the table.

Reefa has just remembered a similar discomfort during this time. It's Harold's excessive cold against Erica.

Harold and Erica, Reefa seemed as if both of them were taking “seemingly” attitudes toward each other.

This is a hypothetical story.

But what if Harold's cold is to keep Erica away? What if that reason prevents her from being scratched by her own death... no, I don't want to hurt her, but it's a late act? It's very hard to understand the gentleness of that man whose personality is bent over, and Reefa is treading that such possibilities can also be fully considered.

And what if Erica also senses the mood again and is stubborn to make herself look like she hates Harold the way he wants it to be? Erica knew Harold well from a very young age, a pattern that could also be called childhood taming.

I don't know since when Harold has had that attitude, but some parts of the guy are missing out for creating a perfectionist atmosphere. The longer I deal with him, the more opportunities I should have to notice the slippage and the overly clumsy tenderness.

Not so much if you're as smart as Erica.

There is no clear basis for Reefa's hypothesis.

I'm just talking about the level of paranoia that connects the two seemingly unlike each other. A regular Reefa would have just come up with such a leap theory and wouldn't have laughed it off herself and cared about it.

Yet the only reason why hypotheses cannot be discarded. That's in that in case this assumption equals or is close to the truth, Erica might suffer a lifetime of wounds.

The key is how far Erica understands Harold's situation.

If you're simply sensing that you're trying to keep Erica away and not go against her will, you probably "don't know that Harold's life expectancy is imminent”. When we first met in Smeragi territory, Harold gave Reefa a pause about life expectancy, which is the ultimate reason to think so.

Erica is not the type to put disgust emotions on the table no matter what she sees. Sometimes you get angry because you're human, and some of you hate it inside, but there's definitely just enough instrumentality to hide it under your smile to behave.

How can that only be against Harold? Aren't you doing it because Harold wants it?

If so, that means you're pushing your mind to kill it and then you're doing it for them.

Reefa thought so because every time she learned about Erica's humanity, she was starting to think she really hated Harold.

Five of the six people traveling together, that is, everyone but Erica, are a favored, worldly, very rare group against Harold. Sure, it's not uncommon, but Erica would have a solid ear to listen to people's claims.

It was a chunk of discomfort in itself if it came from Reefa that she was so stubborn that Harold was not the only one to break his opinion that he was a bad guy. It is also a stiff "because I can't tell with that guy" for Reiner and Colette's persuasion that "Harold is not a bad person as rumored.

attitude as if "Erica Smeraggi hates Harold Stokes" and hustle around her. I can't imagine her throwing up such a thin word just because of her private disgust.

One way or another, I'm more firmly convinced that I'm posing like that under some circumstances. And what if those circumstances are the kind of attitude he wants for Harold?

If so, can Erica's heart stand if Harold dies? And my own mind, which kept quiet knowing that Harold's life expectancy was low, would also think that he would be unbearably crushed by the blame he would visit.

But if I confess to Erica here, it means I'll renege on my promise to Harold...

"... annoying"

Spit out words like that with a sigh.

Then there was a voice on that back that was completely defenseless.

"What's so annoying?

"Hih...!

I could almost scream by accident and manage that.

Reefa's excessive surprise was not for being suddenly called out, but for the Lord of that voice.

"Duh, what's wrong? Erica."

"Because it's time to take turns sleeping"

"Oh, already? It's not too soon?

"No, it's time..."

I look at the clock when I'm told. Erica was right. It was almost time to take turns in a few minutes.

Apparently, he was getting pretty focused on his thinking. Seeing it, the liner, the other side of the bed, was asleep. He seemed so lost in his thoughts that he didn't even realize that.

"Oh, it's true. I'm sorry, I forgot to wake you."

"I don't mind that. It just seemed like something was bothering me..."

"Uh..."

I've always been worried about Erica's relationship with Harold, which is hard to honestly say. It's like going into a minefield.

Besides, I also have a promise with Harold that I won't talk about life expectancy. Above all, I don't think Erica will answer me where I tried to hear it from the front. but that's why it's not sexually appropriate to be holding hands without doing anything.

Then let's change the cut of the story and shake it. Reefa, who confirmed that other than herself and Erica were in deep sleep, cut out like this, wondering if this was an extra favor.

"... Erica is someone you like?