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Chapter 6 - Chapter 6: A Demonstration of Power

Steel scraped from sheaths. The two guards, Kaito and Riku, advanced, their movements a practiced dance of aggression. They saw a sorcerer, a wild variable, and their duty was absolute: protect the princess, eliminate the threat.

"I told you to stand down!" Himari's voice was sharp, laced with the authority of a royal accustomed to being obeyed.

It didn't matter. They were operating on training and fear. Haruto remained perfectly still, his posture relaxed, his hands open at his sides. He tracked their approach, calculating vectors, assessing their muscle tension. They were skilled, but predictable.

** Akari's voice was a calm stream of data in his mind. **

"Agreed," Haruto murmured, too low for the others to hear.

Kaito, the older, more aggressive guard, lunged first, his longsword a blur aimed at Haruto's chest. Riku moved to flank, his own blade ready to strike as soon as Haruto committed to a defense. It was a standard, effective tactic against a single opponent.

Haruto didn't draw his pistol. He didn't even tense. As Kaito's blade sliced through the air, Haruto took a single, precise step to the left, the sword tip passing harmlessly by his tunic. In the same fluid motion, he raised his right hand, palm open.

A flicker of light, a sound like tearing silk, and a miniature, contained plasma burst erupted from a port on his wrist gauntlet. It wasn't a weapon setting; it was a utility tool, a high-energy pulse designed for cutting through wreckage. The superheated particle stream struck Kaito's sword just below the hilt. The steel glowed white-hot for a microsecond, then vaporized. Kaito was left holding a useless handle, his eyes wide with utter shock as the rest of his blade simply ceased to exist.

Before Riku could process what he'd just seen, Haruto had already pivoted. Another silent flash. Riku's sword suffered the same fate, its length vanishing into a puff of metallic vapor. The two guards froze, staring at their now-useless hilts, then at the calm, silent man before them.

"I am not your enemy," Haruto said, his voice level. Akari translated the words with perfect, unnerving clarity. "Your princess was injured. I healed her. You are welcome to verify that."

Himari, who had watched the exchange with a mixture of terror and awe, stepped forward. "It's true. My arm was broken, my leg… I was dying. Look at me now."

Kaito and Riku slowly lowered their arms, their training completely failing to provide a response for a man who could unmake steel with a wave of his hand. They looked from their ruined weapons to their princess, who stood whole and hale before them. The hostility in their eyes was replaced by a deep, reverent fear.

"What… what are you?" Riku stammered, the question a breathless whisper.

** **

"I'm a survivor," Haruto replied, letting the simplicity of the statement hang in the air. He turned his attention back to their camp. "We've wasted enough time. Your convoy was attacked. By what?"

The question broke the spell. Kaito found his voice, the soldier in him taking over. "Grayha. Dozens of them. They came out of nowhere. We were escorting the princess to the sanctuary city of Silverwood. We were all that was left."

"Then we are all that is left," Haruto corrected him, his tone pragmatic. "And sitting here makes us a target. We need to move. At dawn, we find a defensible position and make a real camp. Rest now. I'll take the first watch."

He gave the order with the casual authority of a commanding officer, and the two seasoned guards, who moments ago had been ready to kill him, simply nodded in silent, baffled obedience.

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