Divine Sword Art System

Chapter 13. Courageous Heart

***

The next day.

Tobias' health was much better than last night. The headache that had hit his head disappeared three hours after the fight with the debt collectors. Now, he woke up earlier than Muino, who still slept on his bed.

He took a piece of paper and left a message for the old man. It was a promise to come back after arriving in Stratham. Tobias also thanked Muino for letting him borrow his horse and gave him his best sword.

"Hey, Amu," Tobias said, summoning his divine system.

[Yes. Do you need anything, Master?]

"How many people came from the same world as me before?" asked Tobias.

[Transmigration of souls is the authority of the gods. A system like mine created by them wouldn't be able to figure it out]

"I see, huh? Looks like I'll have to find out myself," Tobias replied.

Once everything was ready, the young man stepped out of the house while carrying two swords on his body's right and left sides. He walked near the stables and found two horses already awake; they looked strong and healthy.

The first horse had a white and black pattern, while the second was completely brown. Tobias took the brown and left one horse for Muino. He began to attach his riding gear to the horse's back and rode away from the house toward the nearest village centre.

Tobias could only hope that Muino would be fine without him, as the threat of debt collectors would not just disappear. The journey from Muino's home to the nearest village took two hours.

Along the way to the village, Tobias didn't find anything dangerous. He only met forest animals such as rabbits, cats, chickens, and to his surprise, a medium-sized wild boar.

From his direction, a row of houses came into view, as well as a better dirt road in contrast to the path Tobias travelled in the forest. Just as Tobias started to take that route, his horse stopped when he saw two small children running down the road.

They seemed to be playing soccer, both running in fear when they came face to face with Tobias' brown horse. Their mother was drying clothes in the front yard.

Without dismounting, Tobias asked her in a rather stern voice about the route to Stratham. At first, the woman was reluctant to say anything because Tobias had scared her children.

"You must apologize to my child, and I will tell you," the woman said sternly.

"Apologize? I didn't do anything to them," Tobias retorted, reluctant to say sorry for something he didn't think was his fault.

"Didn't do anything? Your arrival has made my two kids cry in fear!" the woman replied, raising her voice so high that someone appeared to come out of the house.

A man walked out, not quite thin, wearing a long black robe with a wand in his hand. He stood beside his wife as he asked about the situation in front of the house.

"Darling, that man has scared our kids," the woman said, accusing Tobias of false facts.

"I didn't do anything wrong to them. Why don't you ask them?!" said Tobias, telling the stubborn woman to ask her own kids.

She certainly didn't want to follow what Tobias wanted. Since he and the family had no agreement, Tobias decided to leave them.

[Magic Skill: Stone Wall]

Tobias' horse came to a stop again when a two-meter-high wall blocked his way into the village centre. Only one person could have cast the spell, either the mother or the father of those kids.

Tobias looked to the side and saw a man holding out his wand, which glowed a magic circle from the tip of the wand toward Tobias' horse's front. The young man realized that the stone was created by the father.

"You must take responsibility for my children. Apologize to them," the man replied, glaring at Tobias.

Tobias's hand reflexively grasped the hilt of his black sword, preparing to shatter the magic-spawned stone wall with his sacred sword skills. However, his hand stopped when he saw the expressions of their two kids.

In his mind, it was not good to show a sword blade to a child of that age; it could have a bad impact in the future because it would always be remembered for this incident. Tobias abandoned his intention and chose to bow his head to the family, sorry for his impoliteness.

The stone wall that the middle-aged man had appeared on began to disappear. They accepted Tobias' apology as he asked the young man to leave.

"The Stratham City is in the southwest direction. Follow this village road until you leave the village, then take a right at the first three intersections," the middle-aged man replied, gesturing towards the war-ravaged city.

Tobias thanked the man for the information. He resumed his horse-riding journey toward the centre of the village, leaving the family home with an aching heart.

"What exactly is he looking for in that ruined city?"

***

There were no obstacles during Tobias' trip to Stratham City. He only saw villagers carrying their crops passing by on his right and left.

But about halfway into the city, he noticed troops in black armour on standby. They were quite numerous and well-equipped.

Tobias arrived at a place with a border sign, which was quite confusing because a village border with a crossbar wasn't necessary unless Atrea's territory was getting smaller.

"Where are you going?" asked one of the soldiers, squinting as he noticed Tobias' appearance was different from the average villager.

"I'm going to Stratham City. They need me," Tobias replied, not dismounting.

"Who are you? Are you part of the reinforcements?" the soldier asked.

Not one, but three soldiers with the same colour armour and a sword at their waist seemed to surround Tobias. Tobias' presence alerted many soldiers, especially since he was the only one seen carrying two swords on his waist.

"You're using a different sword from us. What will you do with it?" asked one of the soldiers to Tobias' right.

"I am Tobias Archibald. The third child of the Archibald Nobility of Stratham City. I plan to fight with them against Valcke's army," Tobias explained, speaking straightforwardly to the surprise of the soldiers around him.

"Archibald? I thought Giselle was all they had left," one of the soldiers said, making Tobias flinch in surprise.

"What do you mean? Aren't there Thompson and Darwin?" asked Tobias sternly.

"Where have you been? There was a great battle in Stratham at night, just one day before the reinforcements arrived," the soldier explained.

Tobias reflexively dismounted as he strode toward the man. He grabbed the man's black armour, causing many colleagues to draw their swords and point them at Tobias.

"What happened to the people of the city?!" snapped Tobias, genuinely curious about what had happened during his week away.

"M-Many were killed. Those who survived were evacuated to Langdale City," the man replied, visibly frightened by Tobias' angry expression.

"It can't be."

Tobias was completely shocked by the news. There was no way Thompson and Darwin could have been defeated by Valcke's troops even though the enemy had more soldiers. His heart was still reluctant to accept the news from the soldiers and chose to check the place by himself.

The young man turned with a serious gaze toward the border guard soldier. He ordered him to open the bars, or he would use force to leave.

"I've warned you. Stratham Town has fallen into Valcke territory. You won't find anything there," the soldier said.

He agreed to open the border barrier to Tobias, and the young man immediately left the place at high speed. He wanted to reach Stratham quickly and confirm the doubts in his heart.

"I'm sure they're still alive there," Tobias replied, speeding through the forest.

His right hand began to draw his black sword, preparing for the worst of the soldiers' words. However, deep in Tobias' heart, the young man believed his family was still alive in the city. Tobias was sure they must be hiding in a secret place unknown to Valcke's troops.

"Valcke! I won't forgive them!"