The Cursed Swordsman

Chapter 18: Trust

Claus marched his men for a month. Every couple days, they would set up temporary camps along the way, and laid relatively low and off the grid. As they moved, Claus would assist in mundane tasks like hunting, fishing, harvesting what little crops they could grow, and overall just being a good leader. And as he was, he soon found himself a secret admirer in the camp who chose to stick around. Alruna, the disciple Hikari had brought back to the army as a refugee. She didn't fight at all. She was pretty chill and just helped around the camp, providing entertainment for the weary soldiers.

One night, after a restless sleep, he steps out into the night air for a bit of relaxation. He looks around in the dark camp, and starts to make his way around, doing some nightly patrols until he walked by the refugee tent. Inside was only one person, Alruna. Feeling curious as to why his sword acted the way it did when he first met her, he quietly entered the tent and walked up to the sleeping woman.

He stood over her for a moment, confirming that she was fast asleep. He brought his sword from its sheathe, and held it close to her body. Once again, it started to glow, and he narrowed his eyes suspiciously. The sword reacts to divine power, so why was she making it glow? The best way to confirm his suspicions would be to stab her. He slowly moved his hand up, just above her chest. With a gulp, he lowers the blade, but couldn't bring himself to actually stab her. The swords glow was getting stronger as it hovered centimeters away from her body. But against his greater judgment, he puts his weapon away and silently exits the tent.

Just as he left, Alruna gasps. She had just woken up from nightmare. She felt a dangerous presence over her, but she couldn't bring herself to open her eyes until it was gone. She had no doubt it was Claus standing above her. But she didn't want to expose herself by confronting him about it. So with a sigh, she lays back down to try and sleep some more.

———

The next morning came quickly from there. The army was preparing to move out, but Claus first had to call Hikari to meet with him in secret. So she entered the meeting tent before it was scheduled to be taken down, and sees Claus standing in front of a map. "You wanted to see me, Claus?" She asked.

She immediately got his attention, as he turned to face her. "Yes, thank you for coming. Sorry that it's so early, but I need you answer a few questions. You're not in trouble, I promise." He says.

"Very well then. I will answer to the best of my ability." She nods and stands by the table.

"It's concerning Alruna. The girl you brought a month ago." He says, and sits down. "She's a bit suspicious. For some reason, my sword glows when I'm around her. And pretty intensely, at that. And as you know, it reacts to divine power. I simply want to know...are you sure she's just a disciple?" He asked.

Hikari was a bit shocked by this revelation. So she thinks to herself for a moment, and nods. "If she wasn't, then she would be a pretty convincing liar to have fooled me. As you might know, I can sense when someone isn't being honest. I've had to deal with children lying to me for decades when I was a mother, so I have experience with telling truth from lies." She says. She says.

Claus only nods in understanding. "You have a point. But at the same time, the glow of my sword never leads me astray. Like so." He unsheathes it before Hikari and holds it right to her cheek. The blunt side, of course. "You give it no reaction. Could there be another reason for it to act as it does with her?" He asked and put it away after the demonstration.

Hikari puts her hand over her chin to think. "Perhaps...this is the work of a Stigmata?" She recommended.

"The Stigmata?" Claus asked.

"That's right. I've read that followers and disciples that are especially close to the Gods are granted a portion of their powers, which manifest markings known as Stigmata. The Stigmata also gives the holder immortality until it is stripped away for some reason. The most common example of one is the God of All Suns' wife. She has one from her husband. Or so Sharp said, as when she arrived to defend her husband, she could use his fire powers." She explained.